Searching for a Silver Lining: My Mental Health Story
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Since mental health is what brought me to Medium in the first place, I’m going to share a little more about my story. I’ve been feeling reflective of late, yet also distinctly overwhelmed at the same time. Living with mental health conditions can be quite a challenge, to say the very least. Just when you think that you’ve got things under control, life comes along and slings you another curveball.
It can be hard not to feel like you’re swimming against the current, entering a battle that you feel you’re sure to lose. But life has a way of surprising us, and showing us the way forward. Even when we aren’t expecting it and it seems like there’s no way out. You just have to give it that chance.
At the time of writing, I’m 28 years old. I’ve been dealing with mental health issues since I was a child, but things only became more difficult around the age of 14. That was when anxiety and depression really took hold for me — especially depression. I didn’t really know how to handle my mental health back in those early days. I just tried to muddle through as best as I could.
Depression in my teenage years was a very physical experience. I would be exhausted and lose my appetite completely, as I alternated between crying and feeling numb. I would distract myself through…
