>>13 Mental illness is so difficult, because to follow your river example, most people have been in a pond before and had to get out. And they think getting out of the river is the same thing. It's nothing like physical illness, where getting people to understand they are ignorant about a condition is trivial compared to depression or anxiety...
Just a couple days ago, I lied to someone on the street. I think at this point it's obvious I did. Now, I'm afraid to go out grocery shopping or walk around outside because I might see them again. I haven't stopped thinking about it for 48 hours.
The thing I have learned is most of the time, you aren't directly 'wrong' in your thinking. The thing you are anxious about really does have consequences, and there is real possibility of something bad happening to you. The key is that caring about those consequences so deeply is wrong. Even though next time I see that person they will likely be upset with me, I can't care about it as much as I do right now.
Of course, after realizing this, I didn't stop getting anxious. But it made it very clear where I had to focus and improve. Every time I get anxious about something, I know exactly why it is wrong to think it. Slowly, I think I will improve.
Not there yet, haha.
I like your post a lot, thanks for sharing.
