My mother always wanted a perfect child, and that’s exactly what I am not. This is a story about my failure, my failure at life. I wasn’t blessed with the amazing athletic gene that my father passed down to both of my brothers. However, I was blessed with intelligence, artistic abilities, and an amazing memory. None of that matters if I lack the incentive and determination to make something out of myself.
Just recently I have been diagnosed with severe social anxiety and severe depression. This was no shock to me because I’ve known this since I was seven. I never had the courage to speak up out of fear that I would hurt my family, until recently when I decided I was done feeling this way. I’ve always dealt with depression my entire life; it’s not a passing phase. The main cause of my depression is my anxiety.
“Depression and anxiety go hand in hand, like ice cream and sprinkles. You can’t have one without the other in some cases, unless you don’t like sprinkles. Then it’s fine.” My therapist always says. The earliest encounter that I can remember of my anxiety is the summer I spen...
Every day in our lives, we desire to be perfect to please others. No matter how hard we try, if we do not achieve the concept of being perfect, then we would feel like failures. For example, every year in the Olympics, a new crowned Olympic champion receiving a gold medal persuades young athletes to worry over winning a medal in every competition they compete. If they do not win a medal in a certain competition, then all their hopes are vanished for the next competition. This action shows how if we do not strive to emulate other people’s achievements, then we will not stand out from the rest of our population. In “Suicide Note” composed by Janice Mirikitani, Mirkitani describes the speaker as a college student who kills herself after not receiving a perfect grade point average. When people look at her body lying down on a cover of snow, they perceive that her suicide is due to her inability of becoming perfect. However, on a deeper meaning, the suicide symbolizes her inability of realizing the concepts of family love, hard work, and happiness.
No child starts off life wanting to develop insecure attachments, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or be abused or neglected. Most of us want to be successful, well-adjusted and self-actualized individuals. Most of our parents dream the dream of having the perfect little Johnny or Janie. Parents often dream of a child who is intelligent, high-achieving, and creative. The fact of the matter is not all of us are as fortunate as others are in the families to which we are born. Part of the success of failure experience by many of my clients has to do
Depression is an incredibly serious matter that affects many people around the world. It is fairly common for many people to experience depression in some sort of way after a tragic event, such as the death of a family member or the severing of a long-term relationship. In fact, some may argue that these feelings are indeed appropriate for the time being. However, for some individuals, these feelings of despair and stress can last for weeks at a time or longer. While some who are not dealing with depression may interpret the feelings and the mindset of those who are struggling with major depression as a case of “the blues”, depression is undoubtedly a serious condition when left to itself without any type of support or medication. Depression
staff, Mayo. "Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 1 Oct. 2011. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
Horwitz, Allan. (2010). How an Age of Anxiety Became an Age of Depression. , 88(1), p112-138.
Depression is a serious mental health illness which affects an individuals’ mind, body and mood. It is a chronic and lifelong health condition (NICE, 2006) thought to be caused by a number of biological factors including neurotransmitter disturbances in the brain and an element of genetic vulnerability; these are often in addition to psychosocial factors such as the occurrence of undesirable life events, limited social network options, poor self esteem and the occurrence of any adverse life events during a persons’ lifetime (Bernstein, 2006). Depression can have an impact on a persons’ ability to do many things including working, engaging with others, participating fully in family life or maintaining relationships, and it can also impact on a person...
Do you know what it feels like to have your palms sweat, throat close up, and your fingers tremble? This is the everyday life of someone who lives with anxiety. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I hear my brain freaking out about the day ahead of me. What do I eat for breakfast? What do I do first when I get home from school? What happens if I get in a car crash on my way to school? A million thoughts at one time racing through my head. I never have the time to process all of them. Most mornings, I lay in my bed and have to take a few deep breaths to begin my hectic but not so hectic day. That’s just the beginning. It’s safe to say that I feel that I 'm an anxious person and that I have an anxiety disorder.
It had come to the attention of my family that I had some sort of psychological problem and something had to be done. I was always labeled as a shy and quiet kid, and like my family I had thought nothing more of my behavior. However, now it had become something more obvious. I had told my parents the kinds of problems I was having. Basically I didn't want to talk to anyone or to be anywhere near anyone I didn't know. I didn't really want to leave my house for any reason for fear that I might have to talk to someone. I was so critical and scrutinizing in relation to myself that I couldn't even enter into a conversation. Everyone seems to have a part of themselves that lends itself to thoughts of pessimism and failure, but mine was something that was in the forefront of my mind at all times. Something telling me that everything I did was a failure, and that anything I ever did would not succeed. Through discussion with my family it was decided that I should move out of my parents house to a place where I could find treatment and get a job. I was to reside with my sister Lisa, her partner Brynn, and their Saint Bernard in Greensboro.
There is a fine line between anxiety and depression. A line that is often times blurred. Although there are differences between the two, they also share many similarities, which can lead to false diagnoses for patients. It only gets more complicated when both illnesses are present. For example, The National Institute of Mental Health (2009) did a study of anxiety disorders and found that 53.7% of people reported they also experienced major depression as a secondary condition. These researchers also stated that people who are severely depressed do become anxious. In order to have a better understanding of anxiety and depression one must first clearly define the two conditions, understand the causes, look at the symptoms involved, and review the different treatment options available.
Anxiety disorders are genuine mental illnesses, and should be treated as such. Modern society doesn’t comprehend them as significant matters, and doesn’t understand how horrifying it can be to have this condition. A lot of people don’t fully grasp the severity of having this disorder, and thus are not sure how to help someone who is suffering with it. I was officially diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during my last year of high school. I was struggling to graduate because my nerves were taking advantage of me getting an education. I would stress out about minimal issues and would purposely skip school to avoid my negative feelings. I always thought I was simply too shy for my own good and overanalyzed everything, but I realized it is more complex than that once it was affecting my schoolwork. My family didn’t believe anything was wrong with me, so it took a long time for me to receive any sort of treatment that would benefit me in the slightest. I was on medication for it until I could no longer afford it. Now my only option is to deal with it to the best of my abilities while having assistance from my family. Having this disorder has limited me to a very sheltered and dull l...
Everyone in life experiences failure. It can affect people positively or negatively and that all depends on how they react to the experience. If one lets their failure overcome their dreams, it will lead them in the wrong path. But if one views their failures as a motive to succeed and grow, then they are on their way to becoming successful. For me, I let my failures in life help build onto my character and define the person I am today. My childhood injury is my example as I let this moment affect the outcome of my dreams I had then.
The social impact associated with anxiety disorders is most often isolation, tension, and depression. Dependent on what...
Failure. What is it to you? For me, failure is the lack of change when I make a mistake. My third grade teacher, Mr. Ramirez, had used the quote “Un error es uno que no se no corrigen,” through the school year, but I never understood what it meant. On the last day, Mr. Ramirez explained the phrase as “A mistake is only a mistake if you do not fix it.” I didn’t really see its importance on that day, but by the end of fifth grade, and I was getting ready to leave elementary school, I realized the significance of Mr. Ramirez’s proverb.
Many people feel apprehensive and miserable every now and then, but when does it take over their whole lives? Losing a loved one, doing poorly in school or work, being bullied and other hardships might lead a person to feel sad, lonely, scared, nervous and/or anxious. Some people experience this on an everyday basis, sometimes even or no reason at all. Those people might have an anxiety disorder, depression, or both. It is highly likely for someone with an anxiety disorder to also be suffering from depression, or the other way around. 50% of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Have you ever been beaten down by your own confidence? It is supposed to help you succeed, but instead, it once made me blinded from the fact that I am not perfect. There is always a chance of failure if I don’t try my best. In fact, I did fail getting into my dream high school.