It is ok to not feel ok.
Image created by Lawrence Wong. Check out his work at https://ello.co/lowo .
Today I wanted to share a bit about myself and play with some vulnerability. I've been feeling the winds of change calling me to share myself in a more open and personal way. My hope is that in doing so, I'll connect more to those of you who resonate with me.
Sometimes I struggle with my mental well being.
It’s not something I’ve mentioned before but it feels important to proclaim, as a stand against the stigma of mental illness.
I have struggled with anxiety and depression for most of my life, but now I speak my truth with pride. I’m done with the self-judgment. I claim the freedom to be not okay sometimes, to know it is okay to not be okay. As someone who cares and feels intensely, depression and anxiety makes sense to me, they are an important part of who I am.
To be authentic is true freedom. I want to honor the depression and anxiety that I’ve felt in my life, not be ashamed of it.
The message I received growing up was being depressed and anxious is wrong, that I shouldn’t share it with people, and that I should hide myself when I am not feeling happy. As a young adult, when I did work up the courage to share my feelings I was told there wasn’t anything to be depressed about and that I should be grateful for everything that I had in my life. Meant to be comforting, it had the opposite effect. The lack of validation only led to more shame. Thankfully, I have grown up, and I see clearly now that those messages, along with the depression, had a purpose.
I believe these mental health struggles have happened for me (versus to me), that the darkest and most difficult challenges can turn out to be blessings in disguise.
They gave me the opportunity to learn how to take care of myself emotionally, recognize what doesn’t serve me, help me take responsibility for myself, protect myself and choose thoughts that align with honoring myself instead of punishing myself. They led me to a life journey of self-discovery, fueling my passion for personal growth. I am able to see now that I always have choice.
The work is definitely still in progress, and likely always will be, but I’m slowly learning how to reframe and take on empowered perspectives. I am also learning the importance of validation, understanding, and attunement.
I am curious about your thoughts on all this. Does any of this resonate with you? I would love to hear from you! If you feel so inclined, please email me : Angela@chefangelahuang.com
Here are some more truths that have helped set me free:
Depression is highly treatable with a variety of ways to approach it.
Talking openly about mental health without shame can help encourage those who are silently struggling get the care that they need.
Diet and lifestyle play a large role in managing inflammation in the body and brain.
There is growing research suggesting that depression is caused, at least in part, by low-grade chronic inflammation - called the inflammatory cytokine model of depression theory.
““As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has- or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.” - Fred Rogers ”
