I honestly feel like once people come out about living with anxiety and depression there is some sort of negative label attached to them afterward. I say that because there’s so much stigma surrounding it that no one cares to actually understand what anxiety and depression are.

In this post, I want to shine a light on some of the positive lessons I’ve learned from living with anxiety and depression. Why not?

Lately, I’ve been going through some things consisting of a lot of change and it has affected my anxiety tremendously. Spreading positivity about my mental health conditions shouldn’t be a problem at all.

So I hope this blog post inspires you.

1. Not everyone will understand anxiety and depression and that’s okay.

This is a lesson that took me a while to learn.

I used to hate when people wouldn’t understand why I felt a certain way on a particular day even after explaining myself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just scream because of it.

It was pretty frustrating for me.

No matter how bad you want them to, some people just may not understand what you’re going through simply because they don’t know what it’s like to go through it. We live in a generation where many will never understand mental health conditions, period.

Even though mental health is somewhat spoken about more now than it used to in the past, people are still likely to dismiss and ignore the extent of mental health conditions.

That’s just how things are and you can’t do anything about it. So there’s no point in getting all worked up over that.

You also can’t make people understand something they don’t want to understand. When I came to this realization, I understood that only I was on this journey and no one else was on it with me.

It’s okay if people don’t understand what I go through. I know this now. It is fine if people don’t see me fighting for my life on certain days. It’s not their job to recognize it.

2. The Importance of self-care.

Practicing a little self-care every day can increase your self-confidence, and productivity levels, and improve your relationship with yourself and other people.

It wasn’t too long ago when I didn’t practice self-care. I started when I created this blog which was roughly less than a year ago. Self-care changed my life. That’s why I can’t ever stress it enough throughout my blog. Self-care is so underrated.

The kinder you are to yourself, the better your life will turn out to be.

And if you didn’t know, when you practice self-care, you are practicing a form of self-love. Self-love is one of the several things that should be practiced while trying to maintain your mental health.

Because of self-care, I smile more. I wake up feeling refreshed on most days despite my mental health conditions. There was once a time that none of that happened and shit just wasn’t all that great.

If you’re new to self-care, here are some things that I enjoy doing that you may also like:

• Journaling
• Lighting scented candles
• Decluttering my home
• Going outside for sunlight

Believe it or not, those little things are all forms of self-care. If you haven’t already, you should give it a try.

Why You Should Prioritize Self-Care

35 Self-care Ideas For a Bad Day

3. It’s okay to have bad days.

We’re human and everything isn’t going to always be sunshine and glitter. Although, that would be pretty awesome. But it isn’t realistic.

I’m not too sure why but in today’s generation, it is a sign of weakness to express your emotions and feelings. In other words, showing that you are not okay means you are weak.

That’s not true at all.

It’s okay to not be okay. I had to make myself understand that for the longest. I say that because I used to always try to force myself to feel better which resulted in toxic behaviors such as drinking, compulsive shopping, increased negativity, etc.

In all honesty, I still struggle with compulsive shopping. But I’m making my way and that’s all that matters. I had to make a change because that not only would leave me flat out broke but I’d also feel guilty about it after the fact.

There’s nothing wrong with not feeling happy all the time.

It’s okay to have a bad day. I don’t know anyone happy every single day of their life. It’s okay to feel upset or just not be in the mood! And who cares if that mood lasts the whole day?

Sometimes, I can be in a mood for 3 days straight. It happens. Life happens.

Don’t ever beat yourself up for not feeling up all of the time. It’s normal to have days when you’re down.

3 Things to Remember When Life Takes a Turn

How To Stop Being Toxic in Your Own Life

4. Appreciate the positives

Living with anxiety and depression has helped me appreciate the positives in life. I say this because usually my anxiety and depression cause me to have a negative mindset but when I practice gratitude and self-care, that’s when things change around for me.

Keeping a gratitude journal in my life has done me some good. I’m able to cultivate positivity and create a more positive atmosphere for myself in life. Things are so much brighter than they used to be.

Life is good, either way.

If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I get it. I know how it can just ruin you and bring you to your weakest points. But you have to remember the positives about it. It doesn’t always have to be bad.

There is no shame in bettering yourself. Always remember that.