You are not alone! Many people have the experience of these conflicting states at times and this Huffington Post article brings together what people have to say about it. I find it helpful when I know there are others who have similar experiences. And I see my clients experiencing relief when I normalize their experiences.
Of course there are varying degrees of anxious and depressive feelings. Ranging from circumstantial and transient to more clinically significant, full blown anxiety and depression. I don’t love the title of the article because it doesn’t imply there is a range. You don’t have to be clinically diagnosed to experience what these people are saying!A
However, I appreciate the real accounts of how it can feel.
And I like the topic because clients will sometimes report these competing states and feel confused or stuck.
The best part is this: “Anxiety and depression have a way of shrinking your world. The first steps to expanding your life again are accepting that it is OK to not feel OK.” Matthew Emerzian, CEO and founder of Every Monday Matters, a not-for-profit organization that helps people with self-worth
I think that is a phenomenal starting point: It is OK not to feel OK.
Once you land there, relief is near. Once you accept that it is OK not to feel OK, you can get in touch with what it is that makes it feel like you are not OK. Anxiety is just a state that is the result of built up emotion, not an actual emotion.
Once you get in touch with the feeling(s) by being present, you download the message, you let the body metabolize the feelings and you are on your way back to feeling OK.
If it is more of a pervasive anxiety or depression, I know that can feel so hard. You can feel stuck. And that is good time to get some support to help you get to the bottom of it and through it. We are here for you! Contact us.
