Guest Blog: Cindy: A week of Facebook posts raising awareness of mental health illness and breaking the stigma

One of our regular likers from the FACEBOOK PAGE has sent us a message with copies of her posts raising the issue and awareness for mental health illness and to help break the stigma! She is such a champion for mental health issues. Thank you Cindy!


The views posted below are those of Cindy and are copied exactly as they were sent to me.. I know that not everyone will have the same thoughts and the same faith as Cindy, but these are things which she has found to help her. I am so glad that she sent us this so that we could share it with you all.  

Suzi

Monday

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. Many of you know, but for those who don't, I have Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression. I see a psychiatrist and a therapist and take medication. I'm not announcing this to get sympathy, but to let you know that it's real, it's ok to talk about it, and there is help and hope. If any of you or anyone you know is struggling with depression, I'm more than willing to talk or listen or share my experiences.

Tuesday

In honor of Mental Health Awareness week I'll be posting what I hope is helpful information at least once a day. I had suffered from Depression for a very long time before I was diagnosed. It was because I simply didn't know what the symptoms were. So, for your information, here they are: According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of depression may include the following:

- Crying spells for no apparent reason

- Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration

- Fatigue and decreased energy (even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort)

- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness (fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right)

- Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

- Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping

- Irritability, restlessness (pacing, hand-wringing, inability to sit still)

- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable

- Overeating or appetite loss

- Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings (feeling numb)

- Frequent thoughts of death, dying, or suicide

Wednesday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day:Talk about it.

Sometimes that may seem like the hardest thing to do, but I promise, it helps. It might take you a little while to find someone who is willing to listen without being judgmental, but they are out there. Besides friends and family, try church leaders or fellow members, a school counselor, or look for a support group. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a great organization and has support groups all over the country.

Thursday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day: Find music that you enjoy and listen to it often.

  I have always been a very musical person, and music has a powerful effect on me. I know it's not the same for everyone, but I think most people enjoy music to a certain extent. I use different types of music to get me through different struggles. 

- When I need to accomplish something around the house I listen to something upbeat that I can sing along to, usually County.

- When I'm paying bills, which stresses me out like crazy, I listen to classical cello music.

- When I can't sleep because my mind is in overdrive I listen to composers like Claude Debussy and Erik Satie. Some more contemporary composers (whose music is often found in movie scores) are John Barry and Phillip Glass. There pieces have simple melodies, slower tempos, and I am able to just let my mind relax and get lost in the music. I try to concentrate on the images it brings to mind and the feelings it stirs up. I listen to my "bedtime" playlist almost every night and it has been a great help. I also use it when I am just feeling overly emotional and need to calm down.

On the flip side, if you are the one doing the listening, remember that simply listening is more than likely what they need most. Unless they specifically ask for it, try not to offer solutions, ways to "fix" things, etc.

Friday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day: Give yourself credit for something good you've done every day.

Our own self-talk can be nothing but negative sometimes and we need to make a conscious effort to find the good. So give yourself a pat on the back if you got out of bed and got dressed today, or if you walked down the lane to the mailbox and back, of if you actually cooked supper for your family (that's a big one for me ;) Life is not all sadness and hopelessness, even when we feel like it is (because the imbalanced chemicals in our brains are telling us it is). We have the power to fight back, to talk back to our inner voices and say, "I am not a complete loser and failure because I loaded the dishwasher today, so THERE!" :)

Saturday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day: Laugh!

Easier said than done when you're depressed, but it is possible.Look up funny videos on-line, watch old SNL skits (Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley as Chippendale dancers never fails me ;) or pull out a favorite old comedy. A few of mine are What about Bob, Napoleon Dynamite, and The Princess Bride. Today I watched an episode of the new show Ben and Kate and was laughing out loud by the end. Great medicine!

This piece of advice is actually a two-fer. The second part is: allow yourself the time to do something just for you. When I'm depressed and I'm not getting things accomplished like I should be, I feel guilty doing anything myself, but it's important to not neglect yourself because if you do it will just worsen, or at least not improve the depression.

Sunday

This is the last day of Mental Health Awareness week, so this is my last, and perhaps most important, piece of advise: Have faith!

This may not apply to everyone, but I am a Christian, and having faith in a loving God is what makes the hardest times bearable. The many years I suffered from Depression but had yet to be diagnosed, I thought the reason I wasn't feeling the Holy Spirit in my life was because I just wasn't a good enough person. Turns out, Depression dulls your ability to feel much of anything at all. I often felt completely numb. I read a book that said that when you are deeply depressed, you have to really look for God's hand in your life because you're simply not going to feel it as much as you'd like. I have done that and it has made me so aware of all the many ways God blesses me. I may not feel it, but I can see and know it in my mind. He has blessed me with an amazing husband who is loving, patient, and supportive.  He blesses my by sending His Holy Spirit to others who then feel inspired to contact me and lend their support and understanding. This has happened over and over again these past few weeks and it always amazes me.He has blessed me with amazing friends who are willing to listen without judgment and offer up prayers for me. It comes down to this:

God is my Father in Heaven. He loves me more that my frail, mortal mind can comprehend. He knows me personally and is mindful of exactly what I struggle with; my pain, my fear, my worries, my inadequacies, my guilt; He knows it all. No matter how deeply depressed I may get; I know that He will NEVER forsake me. He will never leave me to face my trials alone. God loves each and every one of us like this, so I say, have faith.