You Are Not Alone

“Nearly Half of Young Adults Report Experiencing Depression or Anxiety” screamed the headline of a recent blog. 

“But that’s normal.” I thought!  Back in the day, I felt anxiety about my place in the world, my classes, my job, my self-image, and my relationships.  As I aged, I felt those same emotions about home renting, home ownership, parenthood (in all its iterations), my job, my self-image, and my relationships.  And as I aged some more, my anxiety was more about my kids, my grandkids, their health, my health, my self-image, and our relationships.  Do you see a pattern here?

No generation is without anxiety or depression.  Those are normal feelings (not to be confused with clinical conditions), we ALL feel upset over day-to-day life.  Nothing is ever as perfect as we want it.  We weigh too much, or not enough, our finances aren’t what we want them to be, and we stress over our performance at school, at work, and at home.  We know we can do better; we forget we have human frailty and demand more of ourselves than we can possibly do – then we suffer the angst of not performing perfectly.  OR, having those we love not performing perfectly for us.

We look to counseling, eating, and medications (legal and sometimes illegal) to make our lives less “stressful,” so we’ll stop feeling bad about ourselves.  We call a friend and “vent”, which usually only serves to increase our negative feelings, not teach us to cope with them.

STOP!

Try giving every situation 24-hours to become less important, then decide what steps to take. Read a book, it takes concentration to read. If you “hate” to read, find a compelling movie to watch (not a TV show with interruptions every 10 minutes or less). Do a project that you have been putting off. Work in the garden, make a great meal, paint the front door, clean your closet, wash the windows, and write that paper that’s not due until next week. 

 Help someone who is less well off than you are, perhaps they are in ill health, or struggling to make ends meet, or caring for an elderly relative, or small children.  Lend a hand or just spend time talking with them. Call a grandparent or relative you don’t talk with often. Completely change your direction, your surroundings, and your mindset.

For most of us stress (good and bad) is a daily part of living and coping with it makes us stronger. Most of us can overcome the bad stuff with a little determination and some creativity.  And every time we successfully divert ourselves from the path of anxiety to the path of accomplishment, we strengthen the foundation for our future lives.  We become stronger, healthier, and better able to cope.  And that means our lives will likely be more successful.