Scarleteen

Do days ever feel off for you when you aren't as anxious, down, etc?

I definitely do with anxiety. I've been better at managing it thanks to therapy and working on those skills but whenever I'm not anxious I always feel like I "should" be since I'm so used to this. I am trying to get out of that mindset since I want to get better and I feel physically uncomfortable with anxiety so I try to remind myself of how much more comfortable I am without it. Unfortunately I haven't had much of a break with depression except for a couple of years ago so I can't say the same.

I certainly feel like some days are better than others. Sometimes I can tell there's a difference in how my depression or anxiety are impacting me because I've recently made a big change like starting a new medication or accessing therapy. But even when nothing major in my life has changed I have fluctuations in how severe my depression and anxiety are, and that's pretty normal! I have better coping mechanisms for dealing with my mental illness than I did when I was younger, so when things get bad I'm more aware of what's going on and more prepared to take action to help myself.

I think it's important to remember that even when you're feeling really great, it doesn't mean you were faking or imagining how bad things felt before. I don't know if you've ever had that thought, but I have - it can be hard to take my own mental health seriously and when I'm doing well I sometimes think "was I really feeling that anxious before? Was I just making it up?" But nope, I wasn't - I just don't feel that way all the time.

I'm a big journaler and I actually always try to journal when I'm having an especially great day or in an especially happy mood or feeling especially calm. This side of the spectrum helps balance out the other side of the spectrum--when I journal feeling anxious or down. And looking back at the entries helps remind me that, just like Mo said, I don't feel one way all the time. A nice reminder that feelings are always changing!