I see a lot of us are dealing with stuff—depression, anxiety, etc. I hesitate to offer prescriptive advice because I can only say how I deal with stuff and am not sure if it’s relevant to other people and what they may be dealing with.

What I wonder is other people’s depression/anxiety based on the things they have to deal with or is it something inside them that makes them prone to emotional stress?

Mine came about from sudden, unexpected bereavement and a desperate need to join her, followed by losing my place in the world on a fundamental human level. I don't know about anyone else.

I don't know. I don't know even if I do actually have anxiety or if it's just another aspect of my perpetual hypochondria, as it mainly concerns mental health.

I had a dream where I could sharply and clearly feel something dark and heavy inside of me, something that was sitting on me, suffocating me from the inside. I sometimes feel like there is something rotting inside of me. Don't know if that means anything or if I'm just being silly.

I think I'm naturally the type to worry excessively anyway. Realistically speaking I'm probably not depressed and I haven't gone full hypochondriac about it either.

I've been consistently diagnosed with chronic major depression since I was very young. My circumstances have changed over the years, but my depression/anxiety hasn't ever really gone away. Sometimes it's situational, but sometimes it's just... there.

I don't know if that helps.

Isn't most stuff both? I mean, it seems like most illnesses, mental or otherwise, comes from a combination of genes and environment.

Mine came about from a lot of stress from disfunction at home and bullying at school during childhood and 3 major traumatic events at age 11, 14 and 16. I think that even though those stressors are no longer present in my life and those events are long in the past now, it does make me more prone to anxiety now even though it's generally over pretty minor issues in the grand scheme of things. However, I have learned ways to immediately bring the anxiety levels back into check that work very well for me. I am also ever cautious of putting myself in those situations as an adult who has a say in the matter and option to remove myself. Some shit in life changes the wiring in your brain I think, but I still believe you can (for the most part) reign in those involuntary inappropriate responses to current, non-harmful situations to a great extent with logic and reason.

I had my first episode of major depression at the age of 16. At the time, the degree of impairment of my thinking led me to believe that I had damaged my brain by smoking too much pot. I have suffered depression off and on most of my life. Sure, it can be situational too, like right now I have no life goals, and so it's very hard getting motivated to do anything. So it can be both.

(November 20, 2015 at 5:02 pm)Rhondazvous Wrote: I see a lot of us are dealing with stuff—depression, anxiety, etc. I hesitate to offer prescriptive advice because I can only say how I deal with stuff and am not sure if it’s relevant to other people and what they may be dealing with.

What I wonder is other people’s depression/anxiety based on the things they have to deal with or is it something inside them that makes them prone to emotional stress?

Many of my immediate family suffer from anxiety and depression. I think it is genetic, and sometimes hormonal. 

I have had social anxiety most of my life. I worked at places where I mostly worked alone. I took online classes in college because the level of anxiety and panic attacks got too bad, until I began studying art. Since it was mostly visual, I think it kept me distracted and busy enough to get through much of it. Public speaking was a nightmare!

However, I landed a job after graduating that requires me to be more social. It took a year, but I am much more comfortable. I love my job and the people I work with. I'm still awkward, but I don't stress about it as much. It just took me time to adapt.

Online, I'm not any better either. I, more often than not, start posts, then delete them. 

I did try medications, but I didn't like them. They made me feel strange (or maybe I should say "more estranged"?)

(November 20, 2015 at 5:28 pm)Aroura Wrote: Isn't most stuff both? I mean, it seems like most illnesses, mental or otherwise, comes from a combination of genes and environment.

I think that's the case with most things in general actually

The majority of the stress and anxiety I experience is due to bullshit, without a doubt. Fortunately, I've  been able to cope thus far, without losing my shit completely or needing medical intervention. 

I'd like to attribute this to natural resilience and undeniable coolness, but I honestly believe I've learned to withstand pressure and high levels of stress out of necessity...sink or swim, do or die, figure it out or you're FUCKED kind of stuff. 

Oh yeah...that'll learn ya.