Society as a whole is more open and accepting than it used to be when it comes to treating mental illnesses the same way we treat physical ones.
Part of this movement depends on the people who struggle with these types of issues being willing to put their personal business out into the world, risking judgment and negative feedback.
anxiety feels like
• increased heart rate • worrying about the future • feeling disconnected from the world • loss of appetite • insomnia • shortness of breath • feeling like you might die
Quote this tweet with #AnxietyFeelsLike and what anxiety feels like to you
If we really want to understand what it’s like, and how anxiety can look and feel different depending on who is living with it, we need to listen without comment, though.
So, here are some tweets that offer you the chance to do just that.
14. Those little message notifications can wreck havoc.
I have very little problem talking to people randomly on here and sorting DMs but randomly message me on Facebook and my anxiety skyrockets Couldnt tell you why. Also couldn't tell you why confrontation there bothers me and here doesnt #Anxiety#AnxietyFeelsLike#EndTheStigma
#Anxietyfeelslike Not being able to take a selfie in public. Having to put your change in your purse and take your stuff at the same time, when the cashier has already said Next. Shortness of breath. Overthinking your embarrassing moment. Not being able to walk past a crowd.
#AnxietyFeelsLike panicking about something that you're not even sure is happening. It feels like being tied to boulder that's at home while the sun shines outside. pic.twitter.com/YVT64IthcT
#AnxietyFeelsLike A lot of stress Always living in the past and future Always awake till 2/3 am Distancing myself from friends and wishing to have a strong friendship Every little thing is annoying Afraid to ask even for help Memories disappearing slowly
Afraid to tell anyone you need help. Not being able to go to a place you have been a 1000 times before. Missing out on things that you love to do. Feeling sick, nervous arms, hot flashes. Being unable to travel long distances without panicking. Constant worry. #AnxietyFeelsLike
my chest tends to tighten up and it feels like i can barely breathe. my heart rate goes up like crazy and my whole body gets shaky. it feels like everything around you is closing in. it’s awful
#AnxietyFeelsLike •You’re going crazy •Loneliness, even when you have a group of supportive people that love you •Second guessing, even triple guessing, just overthinking everything •Feelings of worth/hopelessnes •Terrible feeling of something bad happening •Always tired. pic.twitter.com/yELSYEq0nB
#AnxietyFeelsLike -fearing/hating change -Second guessing everything you do, no matter how miniscule -Not wanting to come out of your room -Fearing interactions even so much as just texting someone -Feeling triggered by the smallest details
* complete inability to focus on work * worrying about things that may or may not go wrong * waking up in an immediate state of panic * everything feels like a crisis
— J. Temperance / مرگ بر آمريكا (@notokaywithit) December 6, 2019
A new type of hallucination has been identified by a team at the University of Derby: an ‘inverted hallucination’ is one where you can’t see something that is really there.
If you’ve ever struggled with depression, then you know how difficult it is to find the right medication and the right dosage. People often spend months trying to find the right combination that works for them because no two people are the same, and doctors need to adjust.
Well, there might be some pretty good news on that front coming soon in the form of an unexpected source.
The FDA has given the hallucinogenic compound psilocybin a “Breakthrough Therapy” designation for the second time in just over a year. Psilocybin is the compound that gives “magic mushrooms” their hallucinogenic powers.
The Breakthrough Therapy designation is meant to expedite drugs for development and review by the FDA. Furthermore, the designation is only given to drugs and therapies that have been shown to be effective in treating medical conditions in the preliminary phases.
Last year the FDA granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation to a company called Compass Pathways for using psilocybin to help with treatment-resistant depression. This type of depression has been shown to not improve with two or more traditional therapies. Also, earlier this year, the FDA approved a nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression that is intended to mimic the positive effects of the hallucinogenic drug ketamine. Remarkably, his was the first new antidepressant approved by the FDA in decades.
The difference with the new Breakthrough Therapy designated drug is that this time it is focused on major depressive disorder, which affects at least 17 million adults in America. The new research will go through the Usona Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, where trials will study how depressed patients do after being treated with one dose of psilocybin.
Most likely, it will be several years before any products related to this study would potentially hit the market.
Still, this is good news for the millions of people out there struggling with depression.
Are hallucinogens the wave of the future? Seems like the 60s all over again…
What do you think about potentially using hallucinogenic drugs to treat cases of depression? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
For many, the holidays are a really hard time. People who have lost loved ones or had other difficult experiences in their lives tend to get depressed around the holiday season, as they reflect on their past and relive old memories.
If you are one of the many people who deals with grief and depression around the holidays, here are 10 tips you should consider to try to alleviate your pain.
1. Time and space.
Give yourself time and space to deal with your emotions. It’s okay to feel pain and loneliness if you’ve experienced loss. Treat yourself well and give yourself a break. You’re only human.
2. Spend time alone.
The holiday season can be very overwhelming for many people, so you need to find time to spend alone so you can work on yourself and get away from it all. Do what you need to do to recharge your batteries: take a walk, sit in a park, and if you want to leave parties or events early, go ahead and do it.
3. Escape route.
Have an escape plan if you attend parties or events that you know might trigger you and make you sad, emotional, or angry. It’s okay if you need to bolt, just be ready and make sure you have all your belongings so you don’t have to make a return appearance.
4. No thanks.
It’s okay to say no to parties, events, or any other kinds of invitations that you think might make you feel uncomfortable or might cause you to lose control. Remember, it’s up to you.
5. Honor their memory.
Some people choose to celebrate the traditions that their lost loved ones did to honor their memory. This can help people to remember the good times and to be nostalgic.
6. Start new traditions.
Instead of trying to recreate the traditions that you enjoyed with your departed loved ones, try to create some new ones. This practice can help you deal with the grief.
7. Get out of town.
Go somewhere new or take a road trip. Get your mind off of the familiar and the places that are associated with your loved ones who are no longer with you. A new atmosphere may do you some good.
8. Fulfillment.
Focus on some activities that you know will fulfill you and make you feel good. Volunteer. Read. Exercise. Walk your dog. Try to make some new friends. Whatever makes you feel good, do it.
9. Totally random.
Practice random acts of kindness. Help out other people and try to better, not bitter. In other words, live your life to honor the people who are gone and do your best. Part of that can be helping out strangers.
10. Remember the good times.
It might sound easy, but it can be tough. Try to remember the positive memories and happy times you spent with your departed loved ones instead of suppressing all thoughts about them. In the long run, it will help.
And while you’re at it, listen to this short but sweet song by the great Willie Nelson.
I have some bad news for people who desperately need more self-control in their lives. Research shows that wishing for more self-control actually has the opposite effect.
In a 2017 study, psychologists measured participants’ desire to increase their self-control. Then the volunteers rated their current level of self-control. Lastly, they had to complete either an easy or a difficult assignment.
The volunteers who performed best on the challenging assignment were the least likely to say that they wanted to have more self-control. Those who did the worst were the most likely to wish for more self-control.
The desire for self-control had no effect on the volunteers’ performance on the easy assignment.
These results could simply demonstrate that people with a lot of self-control perform better on hard tasks — they don’t wish for more self-control because they already have it.
But in a follow-up experiment, the psychologists managed to manipulate people’s desire for more self-control by asking them to write an essay about why self-control was a good thing OR how it could cause problems. This time, those who were prompted to see self-control as desirable performed worse on the difficult task. Those who were prompted to see self-control as problematic performed much better.
Consciously wishing for more self-control may seem like a positive thing — how are you supposed to become more disciplined unless you try? But in reality, this desire makes you focus on what you don’t already have, psyching you out in the process.
So instead of just passively wishing for more self-control, try taking concrete steps to accomplish the specific things that you want to accomplish. For example, don’t just think to yourself, “I wish I had the self-control not to check Instagram every day” – actually install an app on your phone to limit your social media use.
The researchers also recommend reframing your thinking. Self-control isn’t something that people simply have or don’t have. It’s an unlimited resource, and you can tap into it at any time, regardless of what you’ve done before.
The world’s first mental health hospital was built in Baghdad, Iraq in 705 AD. While mental health patients were being condemned, punished, and even burned in Europe, 8th and 9th century mental health patients in Iraq, Egypt, and Syria were given more proper hospitalization and treatment.
There is some really good information in these tweets.
Though the #5YearOldSelfie challenge isn’t the first one to encourage people to give advice to their younger selves (in an attempt to help those still struggling), it is the most recent one to go viral.
UK-based mental health organization Young Minds initiated the challenge and hashtag. Their mission statement is to “make sure all young people get the best possible mental health support and have the resilience to overcome life’s challenges.”
To participate, Twitter users tweeted pictures of their younger self along with 3 pieces of advice you’d have for that girl or boy, then tag three friends who you hope will add their own advice.
The advice runs the gamut, but none of it is bad – below are 12 tweets that are bound to make you feel great about how far you’ve come (or to know that you’re going to be okay, and that it gets better).
12. Keep smiling.
#5YearOldSelfie 1) Your smile lights up any room 2) If you pursue what you think others would want you to do, you’re wasting your own time and happiness… stick to what you think is best for YOU 3) Never stop being a goofball pic.twitter.com/9VeKpxy5Kj
1.) Start drumming don't wait till you're 9 and choose more instruments to learn. 2.)Go to college before the Marines. 3.) Invest in that one stock we now know about! #5YearOldSelfie#Producerpic.twitter.com/yUrZpr8dNr
— CourtHouse Productions (@CourtHouseProd1) August 8, 2019
5. Life is waiting.
1. Don’t let all the bullies get you down 2. Be yourself and don’t care what anyone else thinks 3. Don’t be sad about not having friends, you’ll make all your friends in college and the real world.#5YearOldSelfiepic.twitter.com/fRwGNHkj40
1) Never EVER let bullies win; they turn into sociopaths. 2) Keep your humour & wits about you. 3) Stay weird & follow your dreams.#5YearOldSelfiepic.twitter.com/wm2fbyjDlv
— Joanne Ocean Esq. #PeoplesVote (@JoanneOcean) August 9, 2019
There’s no shame in seeking help when your mental health is suffering. And sometimes that means you have to end up in a psychiatric ward for help.
If you believe the media and movies, these places are strange, scary, dangerous places… but is that the reality? At least the reality THESE days? Only people who have been inside know for sure.
These 20 confessions are from patients who’ve been institutionalized, and their stories will surprise you…
20. That’s a long time to feel like you’re not part of the world.
(@depressionnote) 
Jazzy Bells
Oliver 
(@Frizniz12) 
Clumsy Unicorn 
#PeoplesVote (@JoanneOcean) 
