When you live with the symptoms of depression and anxiety, some days are darker than nights. There are ways to survive, however.

The known symptoms of depression and anxiety can range from hopelessness to crippling fear. It can be almost impossible to get out of bed sometimes.

It’s not about being lazy or having a bad attitude. Depression and anxiety are so much more than just bad moods, they are moods and life experiences that leave scars.

Living with the symptoms of depression and anxiety means building a life separate from all other people. As someone who suffers, you must construct your environment and company in such a way as to eliminate all forms of hindrance, as best as possible.

The time it takes to navigate your life when suffering from the symptoms of anxiety and depression is twice as long as for those who do not understand.

I guess you can use the word “complicated” when describing just how hard it is to function. How do you live with such complex instructions and considerations? How can you survive?

Anxiety and depression are the ones behind the wheel

Living with the symptoms of anxiety and depression means altering your entire schedule to fit the needs of your illness.

No longer do circumstances dictate what your day will be like, anxiety and depression are now your blueprints.  Either of these illnesses decides whether you will be sociable or a recluse as you complete your tasks.

To build survival tactics

There are ways to cope with such hindrances caused by your disorder. For instance, if depression does permit you to complete tasks on one day during the week, you have to learn to do double the workload on your better days.

The same proves true with anxiety as well. Keeping a journal will help you recognize warnings of down days before they happen, providing a bit of time to prepare.

Negative reactions and emotions will occur

In order to cope, you must be prepared to deal with a large variety of reactions. Will your anxiety cause you to hide away from everyone today? Will depression leave you with suicidal imprints to base the success of your day?

Being prepared to face a number of emotions is giving yourself a head’s up for the hours ahead.

Surviving with positive counteractions

Be ready and be equipped with a positive response to counter any negative emotions or reactions, from you or anyone else. I have found that in order to counter negative criticism, your best defense is having a strong sense of self.

If you’ve had the opportunity to spend time with yourself, learn yourself, and like who you’ve found, criticism will have little effect anymore.

Education is your friend

I know you’ve heard it all before, but I will say it again. Get educated! Learn everything you can about mental illness and then learn more.

You can find better ways to cope with symptoms of anxiety and depression if you’re familiar with tools and counseling. Talk with professionals and with others who suffer as well. Compare notes and research therapies.

I won’t tell you how many times I’ve gone off the deep end because I was unfamiliar with facts pertaining to my own disorder. You may not be a fan of conventional medications, but help is always available with options tailored to combat your illness.

Prepare yourself to be misunderstood

Someone somewhere will always misunderstand what you’re going through. What’s more, the majority of people won’t have a clue as to what you carry on about, but that’s okay. As you are dealing with not being “okay”, they may be judging you for your differences.

See from a different perspective and then have mercy

Keep in mind that not everyone sees from the same perspective, so you must take things with a grain of salt.

Putting too much emotion and concern into what others think will only make your condition worse and put a strain on your self-esteem. And let’s be honest, most of us have made assumptions about others before knowing the facts.

You’re all you’ve got, so take care of you!

Let’s face it, I’m not going to sugarcoat anything about mental illness and how society sees it. Basically, you are the best thing you have left, so you have to take care of you. Now, I’m not saying that there aren’t people who care.

Hell, there are people who would do anything in their power to see you get well. What I mean is, you have to see things from a singular point, stand up for yourself and ensure you get what you deserve out of life.

I know that motivation isn’t much of a friend to those who suffer from symptoms of depression and anxiety, but it’s worth a try every morning, just to get up and brush yourself off, right?

Say, we might even try again, no? Start with this: take a walk, get outside and inhale the fresh air, listen to the birds singing and feel the sun on your skin. Let me know if that makes any difference.

Living with symptoms of depression and anxiety can be intimidating at times, but there are always ways to cope. I have found creativity to be one of the best options in my case, and you may find solace in other things of this nature, yourself.

Let’s continue to help others deal with depression and anxiety and in turn, we can help ourselves. Last but not least, here’s another survival tip: Indulge in kindness toward others to aid in the healing of your own hurts.

We can live with anxiety and depression, and still, live a life of fulfillment. Hey, it really works, I’ve tried it.


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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Lee S.

    Thank you for this! I have been a mental health professional for 25 years and have suffered myself from many of the debilitating symptoms noted above. One point you made that really hit home was seizing the moment on the good days. I suspect the guilt I feel on the bad days will be significantly reduced if I can double down when the energy is there. Common sense yet novel and much appreciated!

    1. Sherrie

      You are welcome. Most of the things I talk about are from personal experience. I had to learn the hard way, in order to take advantage of the good days. Sometimes these days are few, so grasp them and spend some quality time with yourself! This is so important!

  2. Anon

    Yeah! Sherrie ..
    Good write. Well done

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