I noticed an initiative to help create awareness for mental health and fight the stigma . I found this very inspiring as I have been dealing with crippling anxiety for some time so much so that I struggled to get started here on Hive which I mentioned in my intro post yesterday. I thought it was such a synchronous coincidence that the two things happened on the same day so I decided to take the sign and take initiative to get more involved in this movement.
So I thought I would take some time to talk about my journey with mental health and some strategies I have employed that have been helpful. A bit ago I had some things happen that affected me really negatively, I don't want to get into the details here but one of the symptoms was that I really struggled with anxiety after that and had a hard time getting started with new things or do some normal day to day things that weren't really a problem before that. I sought out some help with the local mental health clinic and I found talking to someone really helped to sort out the things I was going through. Therapy was quite helpful for the most part but it sometimes has mixed results for me. It took me a while to find someone that I was a good match with and could get the back and forth I needed.
I also took the idea of talking to people outside of the clinic. I was enjoying an open mic at my local cafe and that inspired me to try talking more and I started doing some amateur standup comedy. I seemed to be a pretty popular performer but the open mics stopped around March.
I went back to the clinic and kept trying that route but I ended up getting prescribed an SSRI. I ended up doing some research on the drug and didn't feel very confident taking them so wanted to look into some other options but took it as a wake up call to take a more proactive approach to taking care of my mental health and anxiety because it was really holding me back in a lot of aspects of life and was worried someone might pressure me more with medication if I didn't find another solution.
I take cannabis for my anxiety and find it is often very helpful to reduce a panic attack when I'm having them. I appreciate having some relief from it but it isn't always the best opportunity to use it due to the amount of stigma against it even though it is legal in my region.
I am really glad that I was able to get over my anxiety enough to start posting and it made me remember something I heard about anxiety some time ago. I wish I could remember the source. It was about how anxiety only occurs when you're thinking about doing something or just about to do something. Like when you're on the plane getting ready to skydive. Once you are actually going through the motion it gets easier and easier. One good analogy for this is a bicycle. When you first get on a bicycle and start peddling you are at the most risk of falling over but once you are in motion, the bicycle gets less wobbly and it gets easier and easier to continue without falling over.
Source http://alevelphysicsnotes.com/periodic_motion/circular_motion.html
So I have decided to employ this principle in an experiment. My strategy is that if I challenge myself to post consistently on here, then maybe I will be too busy and too 'in motion' to let my anxiety to take over. And once I have posted consistently for 90 days then I should have created a habit and maybe I can use this to get over my anxiety. It seems to be working pretty good so far.
What do you think of this idea? I don't pretend to be an expert but am willing to take some time to try this little experiment and see what kind of results I can have. I am very open minded and would love to hear some strategies you have found to get through anxiety and have as functional a life with it as possible. I am so grateful that I have come here for Mental Health Month and that I can be a part of this movement to remove the stigma about mental health. I have found there to be a lot of stigma so we have a long way to go but I think it's getting better all the time in some areas. Thank you for reading my experience and plans. I hope you all find your mental health improving and that you don't feel afraid to share your experiences.