Video Transcription

Overcoming depression and anxiety

 I’ve had a mental illness for the last seven years. I’ve been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and for me, it’s been quite a struggle in the sense of not ever having a concrete diagnosis. I just realised that I couldn’t continue living my life going through very low days and feeling like I was never really present. I decided that I wanted to get through that and come out on the other side, finding a happier and healthier life.

Somehow, I recently found the courage to stand up in front of several people and tell them parts of my story and my desire to overcome depression and anxiety, something I hadn’t been able to do in the last seven years. It’s quite exciting because it means I have a very positive outlook on the future. After I got up and talked to the people, I felt relieved. There was a sense of elation. Hearing people’s responses was amazing because it initiated discussions among many people. I had people who came up to me afterward and either said I was brave or they were amazed, or they even shared their own personal stories with me.

I had some people come up to me and say, “I’ve had the same thing, but I’m too scared to tell anybody.” I had people tell me about their friends and family who have suffered from depression and anxiety as well. If I were to go back and do this all again, I think I would be more willing to believe in myself. What happened earlier is that I got caught up in thinking I couldn’t overcome it and that I was weak for feeling this way, which is absolutely not the case.

So, if I could go back and talk to a younger me, I would definitely say, “Talk about it to someone. You don’t have to feel this way.” The other thing I would do is take more control of my health. When I was younger, I got caught up in letting other people determine what was best for me, but at the end of the day, only I know what’s best for me and what can help me the most. So, those are the two things I would go back and tell my younger self: It doesn’t have to be this way. There are solutions to mental illness, and just by talking about it, getting it out there—you don’t have to tell everybody, by any means—but just being able to get it off your chest and being open to some sort of recovery would be my advice.

video by Reach Out