We each have to find our own level of self-knowledge, and that’s why we should all try to learn from one another. The internet is a great place to find others who are doing the same, but more specifically, it’s a great place to find others who have also struggled with anxiety or depression.
I’ve heard things about people who are struggling. Some people have tried to kill themselves. I’ve heard people talk about their families, relationships, and everything else in their lives. So in that sense, yes, there are people out there struggling, but I don’t think that we should think of them as “the other”.
Some people on the internet are suffering. Some of us have problems that we dont tell anyone about. Some of us have an eating disorder or a gambling problem. Some of us have suicidal thoughts. Some of us have depression. Some of us have anxiety. Some of us have bipolar disorder. There are certainly a lot of people in the world who are suffering, and that is part of who we are. But we do not have to let our suffering be a reason to be afraid.
And I really do think that that is the message of a lot of these recent stories. When we all start hearing about people having mental issues, or having a problem that may be more serious than a minor problem, we tend to start putting them on a higher pedestal. We start seeing them as superhuman. We forget that mental illness is a real thing, one that could easily kill us in our sleep.
I think what the story of Arkane’s Deathloop is trying to say is that the act of suffering is a way to give you confidence. It isn’t a punishment that you have to live with, nor is it a punishment that you can fix. It is a way to give you knowledge. It is a way to help you see a bigger picture. It is a way to let you know that your troubles aren’t going to stop.
At times, anxiety seems to become a condition that is easily cured. Anxiety and depression can be cured. People can learn to get their lives back to normal if they have a little help. But even then the anxiety seems to come back. Psychologists have come up with a few ways to help people with anxiety and depression. Even the very best mental health professionals agree that there are things we can still do to help ourselves.
I want to offer a few tips for anyone who is struggling with anxiety and depression.
The first is to avoid certain behaviors and patterns. This includes: not exercising or eating right, not thinking about your current situation, not reading books, not watching TV, not doing anything else you know is a bad idea, and even not thinking about it.
You might not realize it, but you have an increased risk of depression and anxiety if you have a history of abuse or neglect. It’s important to realize that people can be perfectly happy, loving, and intelligent while being chronically depressed, and the longer you keep them down, the worse they feel. This can be especially true during the teen years, when many people become preoccupied with their own problems and start to view themselves as worthless.
Psychiatrists often recommend that you treat your emotions with medication and/or psychotherapy, but I can’t help but think that you’d be well advised to do it more carefully. There is a difference between depression, which is a natural response to being under a lot of stress, and anxiety, which is a learned response. Anxiety is often treated by medication and/or therapy, but depression is often treated with self-awareness.