“One size fits all” does not exist for physical and mental health. There can be similar characteristics, but no two cases are exactly alike.
So what is my depression like? Scratch that. What are my depression and anxiety like?
It’s difficulty sleeping at night and staying awake during the day.
It’s having a wacky appetite and never knowing if I’m going to feel like eating or not, and when I do, It’s being unsure if my mental state plus the food I ate will give me a horrible stomachache.
It’s fighting just to maintain basic hygiene during a bout. It’s celebrating when simply taking a shower and brushing my teeth don’t wipe me out.
It’s wanting to have enough energy to do the things I’d like to do, but seldom making that wish true.
It’s feeling overwhelmed to the point that I must sleep, but letting my anxiety beat the shit out of me for promises that I can’t keep.
It’s a constant struggle and eliminating tasks when it’s too much to juggle.
It’s lying in bed with extremities of lead, but still feeling nerve impulses under my skin and no way to stop the vibrations within.
It’s wanting to connect and find community but allowing fear to ruin every opportunity.
But there is hope because I’ve found ways to cope. During times when things become to intense, I call on nature, music and writing to come to my defense.
Beth Melton, Writer And Poet 