Today’s #SameHere Hero: Rebecca Rose. The 2 things I love most about Rebecca’s share: 1) she gives details of the symptoms of MH complications she/fam members have faced, so that others can relate, & 2) she has a laundry list of solutions she goes to, all of which help her thru the challenges. Please help us welcome Rebecca as part of the Hero Alliance!
“I’ve dealt w anxiety my whole life. My father had undiagnosed OCD, often breaking door knobs at work from checking to make sure it was locked so many times. When my father passed away in 2011, I was only 24 & he was only 61. I developed severe health anxiety. I worried that I would become sick & die at a young age & that my loved ones would as well. I worked thru that w lots of therapy as well as processing my grief.
Seven yrs later, I’ve dealt w bouts of depression & heightened anxiety. I weaned myself off of my antidepressant earlier this year & I’m working w my therapist 2X a wk to manage my OCD & anxiety. A recent event triggered my OCD symptoms so I’m using cognitive behavioral therapy to help w that.
Most recently I began therapy again in August because my depression symptoms left me feeling like I was trapped in a hole w no way out. The first time I actively sought out treatment for my anxiety was in 2011 when I went to my primary care doc & asked to be put on medication. I’ve been on & off SSRIs for seven years & in therapy for almost all of that time.
What’s helped me has been deep breathing, questioning my thoughts as facts, yoga, mindfulness, general exercise, showers w lavender essential oil spray, journaling, & blogging about my anxiety to help others.
Generally, people are grateful when I share my #SameHere story & struggles w anxiety bc a lot of times people feel the same way but feel like they’re alone in that feeling. Sometimes it scares me to share, like people might think I’m ‘crazy’ or weak but the response is always very supportive & kind & I’m always happy that I did open up. There is such a stigma surrounding MH complications. I like to think I’m helping to break it down.”