Mental Health

CMoo’s Mental Health Resource Page. Info To Help You Now

Hi Musers. As one of the central topics of this blog is mental health, I want to produce a mental health resource page to help you get to the answer to your questions straight away. I’ll also explain why I do or don’t discuss certain things. So let’s get started with our mental health resource list. In this post we’ll cover:

1. How Do I Know If I’m Depressed?

If you spend any amount of time here, you’ll know my answer is always “by seeing a doctor and being diagnosed”. I can share my experiences, and there are volumes of information on the internet about everything from mental health to how to hypnotise a chicken. No, I’m not kidding!

There are many illnesses, both physical and mental, that can share many of the same symptoms. It’s the doctor’s job to help you figure out which condition is affecting you, if any. If you want general information on my experience of depression, though, you can find it here.

2. Can I Get Over Depression On My Own?

No, probably not. Unless your depression is directly related to something you’re going through, like a death or the end of a relationship, then the chances are you will need some help.

People make the mistake of thinking that depression just makes you sad it doesn’t. There are a lot of symptoms physical, emotional and mental, and it can be completely overwhelming. You can read more about the symptoms by following the link in question 1.

In my experience, trying to tough it out on your own means you fall deeper into depression faster, and it takes you longer to get better. This mental health resource is a guide, not a replacement for proper help. Please see your doctor straight away if you think you may be depressed.

3. Won’t The Doctor Just Give Me Pills? I Don’t Want To Take Medication.

If you are depressed, then yes, your doctor will probably suggest you begin antidepressants, and I think this is a good thing. I personally don’t believe I could’ve made much progress in fighting depression without them.

A while ago I did try going off them with my doctor’s support, but without telling my family. I can honestly say it nearly cost me my marriage; it made that big a difference to the way I behaved and the way I felt.

 I’m genuinely baffled by the stigma and the reluctance about taking antidepressants. If you went to see your doctor and they said you had a heart condition, or a thyroid problem, or arthritis, and you needed to take pills, most people wouldn’t argue. Attitudes change around mental health medication, though.

Depression is caused by physical imbalances of chemicals in the brain, and they need to be corrected. It’s no different from any other physical ailment, and we need to get away from this idea that taking antidepressants is a bad thing.

We need to destigmatise mental health and mental health treatment. I’ve written a piece in support of antidepressants here, so feel free to check that out, and I’ll explain exactly why I think they’re so important

4. Does Therapy Help?

Yes, it can, but this is dependent on a lot of factors. You need to find:

• The right therapist for you
• The right type of therapy because there are a lot of styles. Psychotherapy, CBT, Human Givens, Psychodynamic Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy
• Cost. Only specific therapies are available on the NHS, and in other countries, all treatment must be paid for by the patient. It depends on what you can afford.
• Time. Some therapies need more sessions than others. How long are you prepared to spend on this.

5. Does Exercise Help Depression?

Yes, although I fought tooth and nail against admitting it to myself. When I felt really down, and people suggested I go for a walk, I wanted to punch them in the face. However, when I felt better, I did start to take some exercise, and to my surprise and annoyance, it worked. I particularly enjoy a brisk walk with my favourite tunes blasting in my ears. 

The most important thing to do is to choose a type of exercise you enjoy. If you hate every minute of it, it is not going to improve your mood. Whether it’s hiking, dancing or a martial art, pick something you’ll look forward to. It’ll raise your endorphins, make you fitter and improve your mood overall.

6. How Do I Know If I Have An Anxiety Disorder?

As with depression, you should see a doctor and get an official diagnosis. There are lots of different anxiety disorders and treatments. I’ve given a rundown of them here. 

7. Does Meditation Help With Anxiety And Depression?

It can. I’ve read many stories written by people whose lives and mental health were improved beyond all recognition by meditation and mindfulness. I have tried it, and it did help a little.

I didn’t find it helped enough to keep it up. Admittedly I only tried it for a couple of weeks, and I may have needed to try it longer. You can read about my experience here.

8. What Can I Do To Feel Better If I’m Feeling Sad Or Anxious?

I would say you need to find what works for you as everyone is different. Some standard tips are taking a little time to yourself in a quiet place. Deep, slow breaths with your eyes closed is also a classic relaxation technique.

I wrote a post about the ten things I do to feel better, which you can take a look at here. Maybe when you’re feeling good, sit down and make your own list, so you’ll have a plan of attack ready when you do feel bad.

9. Why Haven’t You Talked About Other Mental Illnesses?

Yes, I know there are many conditions I have not covered, like BPD, Bipolar, OCD and Psychosis. I did think about it, but I’ve never had these conditions, and I don’t know anyone who has either. I could research it, but all I’d be doing is rehashing information already out there. If I can’t add anything, I think I should leave it to those with experience.

10. Can You Recommend Any Other Mental Health Resource Options?

I don’t recommend anything I haven’t tried personally. Of the couple of books I’ve read about mental health, my favourite by far is My Sh*t Therapist by Michelle Thomas.

It doesn’t explain how you can “fix” yourself, but when I was reading it, I felt she was describing exactly how I feel, and it made me feel less alone. Depression can be so horribly isolating. 

The second book is not directly mental health-related, but my body image dramatically affected my depression, and this book saved me.

The positive impact it’s had on my self-esteem, happiness and resilience cannot be overstated. I think every woman should read Body Positive Power by Megan Jayne Crabbe. A fair number of men should read it too!

When I go online, I find myself at Mind’s website to look into symptoms and the medical side and Time To Change to read others’ experiences.

11. Isn’t Your Blog A Mental Health Resource?

I hope so, even though it’s early days. I intend it to be a mental health resource, a body positivity resource and an “it’s ok to not be ok” resource. Please feel free to let me know if I succeeded, what you like and what you want more of in the comments below 👇

Affiliate Links

This blog is my passion project and I love it but it does cost money to run. For that reason, I signed up for the Amazon Associates program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so if you use the links above I will receive a small commission.

Please be aware it does not affect the price you pay and I would never betray your trust just to earn a couple of pence. Anything I recommend on this site is a book or product I’ve loved and has really helped me. I hope it helps you too.

Thanks 🙂

CMoo

.