Depression

I was one of those “strong” friends - on the outside. And I realize now how important it is to check in on your strong friends. Check in on the people in your life that seem like they are handing the uncertainties of life with grace and poise.

I woke up that day in early September feeling okay at first but around 8am, I became very depressed for no reason I could say exactly. I told my mother (grandmother) that I was going to go for a walk, but I had another plan. There is a 15–20-foot lighthouse by a lake near where I live. It is a truly beautiful place but, on this day, it wasn't so beautiful. 

For me as a Black woman, the celebration of Juneteenth is much more than just a 24-hour long holiday. Instead, it painfully reminds me of the strength, trauma and extreme sacrifice my ancestors experienced in order for me to be afforded the opportunities I have today. It also serves as a reminder of the continued work we need to do to ensure future generations are provided the same, if not additional, opportunities.

Alberto has dealt with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) for five years. Here are four ways (combined with medication and therapy) that he has found helpful in managing his anxiety and depression.

My journey with anxiety has been a process filled with loneliness, shame, and growth. When we share about these things not only does it help us not be alone, but it normalizes something that is a common experience and challenge for so many of it. It can remove the shame and start the healing!

This is my story with stress and anxiety, two words that can affect so many. Although never truly understanding the meaning of these two words at a young age, the older I got, the more I understood the impact they can have on one’s life.

Over all these years I was taking care of everyone else and needed to take care of me. In my process of finding myself I found that I never got over my mother's suicide. In today's world we don't have to sweep it under the rug, there doesn't need to be the skeleton in the closet and very well we don't have to suffer on our own. We shouldn't be afraid to talk to someone.