Thursday, June 10, 2010

Summer Lovin'


Summer is going great. I am keeping busy, but I'm also taking the time to do things I enjoy like reading, sitting in the sun, working out, sleeping...all that good stuff.

Happy Summering!

Living with Anxiety


It's been about 3 months since my diagnosis of anxiety. I am doing really well with the medication I am taking. Infact, I feel like myself again...like a rebirth, it's great! I have been studying books about anxiety and depression and have really become aware of what it means to have a mental illness.

My personal illness is stemmed from the decrease of serotinin uptake between neurotransmitters in the brain. (Which means that I am producing a normal level of seratonin but it is not being absorbed normally when transferred to other neurotransmitters.) My medication allows seratonin to be absorbed at a normal level.

Taking medication was a huge step in healing my anxiety. I feel like myself. I can deal with stress healthfully. I laugh more, I see the good more, and I am a happier person.


Myths about anti-deppressants:


myth- Once on an anti-deppressant, you'll be on them forever.

fact- Depending on your individual experience with depression, most people enter re-mission after 6-8 months of medication.


myth- Anti-depressants will make you have a different personality and not allow you to experience "normal" feelings.

fact- anti-deppressants are designed to allow you to become your normal self again, not become a different person.


myth- anti-depressants can't really help a mental problem

fact- Depression is a physical symptom not only an emotional symptom. Medication helps balance the chemicals in the brain to maintain a healthy level.


I just finished a book about anti-depressants yesterday. It was amazing. One thing I found intersting was this:


Here's a list of a few people that suffer or suffered from mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety:


Buzz Aldrin


Abraham Lincoln


Vincent Van Gogh


Einstein


Jim Carrey


Winston Churchill


John Denver


Charles Dickens


Kirsten Dunst


Nelly Furtado


Anne Hathaway


Janet Jackson


Beyonce


Beethoven


Martin Luther


Michelangelo


Mozart


Isaac Newton


Marie Osmond


Brittney Spears