A different kind of "progress pic" - the improvement in my mental health, one year apart. No filter, no foundation, just a little mascara in the second pic. People don't realise how much mental illness affects you physically too. I still have depression and anxiety, but I'm kicking its ass.

Image from i.redditmedia.com and submitted by phoeenixx
image showing A different kind of "progress pic" - the improvement in my mental health, one year apart. No filter, no foundation, just a little mascara in the second pic. People don't realise how much mental illness affects you physically too. I still have depression and anxiety, but I'm kicking its ass.

Memetic1 on December 23rd, 2017 at 04:32 UTC »

I'm spiralling down and I can see it in the mirror every single day. I'm glad you are getting better seriously though.

itsdr00 on December 23rd, 2017 at 04:39 UTC »

Nobody told me that working on mental health would have physical benefits, but it really does. I used to need 9 hours of sleep per night, but about a year and a half into therapy, I dropped to feeling fine on 7 or 8 like anyone else. I had stomach problems too, and that got way better. It's a trip.

EDIT: Getting asked a ton about how the sleep thing happened. It wasn't that my sleep got better; it was that I spent less energy during the day subconsciously terrified of my surroundings. It's called hypervigilance, for me stemming from CPTSD, which I obtained by growing up in a household where I was simultaneously emotionally neglected by my parents and bullied by a much older sibling. That messes you up.

I see a very skilled psychotherapist, and I chose to not take pills. I got lucky in that the nature of bullying is that the bully convinces you there's something wrong with you, so it was necessary to my emotional survival to firmly believe that I could change if I wanted to. The result is that I changed and recovered. It's very painful, but my abuse sowed the seeds of my recovery. That's why it's important, in my opinion, to avoid pills or activities that reduce emotional pain. You may be blocking off your own escape route.

So, TLDR: Therapy worked and I calmed the hell down.

Demonae on December 23rd, 2017 at 05:37 UTC »

Hey! Keep it up. Seriously. I'm a old guy that went undiagnosed for decades. The change getting real mental health help was simply astounding. I'd been admitted to hospitals, cardiac intensive care units, and was once life flighted 600 miles because they thought I was having multiple heart attacks. It was only after seeing a "shrink" because I felt suicidal that my severe social anxiety was finally diagnosed. I'm glad your getting help younger than I was, and that society is finally starting to key in on mental illness faster. It's not an easy road, but for me staying on my meds EVERY day has completely turned my life around. I've held my first job ever for over 3 years now. Prior to help I was lucky to last a year. Don't be afraid to be completely open with your mental health professional, even over things you might find embarrassing. If your meds affect your sleep, sex drive, suicidal thoughts, bathroom habits, make you irritated, headaches, light sensitivity, ect make sure you tell them. I went through over 20 different meds and dozens of strengths before I found my "perfect fit". The process to find them was over 5 years of trying different combinations, but well worth the effort. Serious, best of luck and never stop looking forward, it really does get better.