Where I am Now

After the support of my family, friends and the amazing Dr Brown, I have overcome depression and anxiety. I am now off my medication and have learned to cope by myself. In grade 6 I attended the YODA program which was really helpful. It taught me about what I was going through and it taught me some coping strategies.

When I was depressed and anxious, my world became extremely small because I isolated myself in an attempt to protect myself from anything and everyone who could hurt me. As I got better, my world began to grow. I was once again participating in normal activities and having social relationships. I have a life now. My life has become very full, in a good way, and I am excited by all kinds of different things that I can do. 

The Christmas Market at my church gave me hope while I was working through my depression and anxiety. I really had enjoyed crafts and artsy things prior and the Market gave me the chance to work on this interest again. For the past 3 years I have had a table at the Market and have sold crafty items that I have made. This year, my table took in just over $1000.00 and I was able to donate all that money to the church. Not only did I enjoy making the crafts but I also got a sense of accomplishment from being able to hand over the money. I also received a lot of positive feedback which made me feel good.

For my Foundations class in grade 9, I had to organize an event that would benefit the community. I chose to organize a Walk for Refugees. This walk took place on January 17, 2016. I invited the entire community. It was well attended and the highlight for me was that the mayor came and led the walk with me. Also, our local MP and MPP also accepted my invitation to attend. It was an amazing event. I put a lot of hard work and effort into it. So far I have raised over $5000.00. The event was even announced in the House of Commons this past week. 

This just shows that you can overcome depression and anxiety and that you can do anything that you put your mind to. Mental illness does not stop me anymore. I realize how all my hard work has paid off and that I have come very far. I am back to being the “ray or sunshine” with the “sunny disposition” and I couldn’t be happier.  

Sleep

Sleep is extremely important but be careful not to use sleep as a place to escape. Sleep gets your brain ready for the next day by forming new pathways to help you remember and learn information. Sleep makes your brain work properly and to be prepared for your day. 60-80% of people with depression have some kind of sleep disturbance. If sleep problems keep occurring your depression has a higher risk of getting worse or coming back. Sleep deficiency falters parts of your brain which can result in having trouble making decisions, regulating your emotions or behavior, and even solving problems. Not getting enough sleep is linked to depression and risky behaviors. Not getting enough sleep can make you more irritable, stressed, and depressed. 

I personally have struggled with sleep difficulties and for a very long time I had to take melatonin every night just to put myself to sleep. Recently I have discovered a new way to put myself to sleep and it has really helped me. Every night I listen to lullaby music. I find the best music to listen to is music with people singing. I use http://www.slacker.com Soothing Lullabys.

If you listen to music on your phone you can set a timer to turn the music off.

http://www.depressiontoolkit.org/takecare/sleep.asp

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why

Exercise

Exercise is very important when dealing with depression and anxiety. Exercise can be very helpful and beneficial for it releases endorphins which makes the body happier and more relaxed. Exercise also burns chemicals such as adrenaline. This chemical makes you more stressed and shuts down organs so that you can't feel pain in the moment. Exercise can also distract you from negative thinking and can improve your quality of sleep.  Research shows that regular exercise is just as effective as an antidepressant for mild to moderate cases of depression.

People with depression and anxiety often don’t feel motivate to exercise. Many will report feeling better after exercising but it is still difficult to get them to make this a part of their regular routine. If you are struggling with motivation, you may want to consider setting reminders on your phone or having a friend encourage you. You could also join a class or exercise with a friend. This may help to make you more accountable and committed to exercising.

Half way through grade 7, I started attending Blyth Academy. I had to take gym class every morning as part of my school. I noticed a huge difference in my happiness and my motivation to do things. It helped with my focus and concentration throughout the day. I learned that exercise is really important as a coping strategy and is something that can help you always. 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495

http://www.depressiontoolkit.org/takecare/exercise.asp

What to do?

When you have depression or anxiety-there are many things you can do.  The best way to start to feel better is to tell someone and to let it out.  Bottling up your feelings can make you angry or more depressed or anxious.  You should always tell someone you trust about what is going on because they can help and support you the whole way.  A parent or teacher can help you find the resources to support you.  You may consider going to therapy. Therapy can be in a group or individually. Group therapy can be very helpful as you can hear what is going on in the lives of others and they can give you their feedback and input on what to do. Sometimes knowing you are not alone can be helpful.  If you aren't comfortable talking about your problems to a group of people there is always one-on-one counselling where you can talk to someone by yourself.  A therapist can teach you different coping skills on how to manage depression or anxiety. One of the most effective forms of therapy is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT looks at how you think and how that effects your mood. Often when we are depressed and anxious our thinking can be a bit distorted which can worsen our symptoms. 

Finally, your doctor is another person to talk to as they could assess you and diagnose if there is a mental illness that needs treatment.  A doctor may suggest taking medication to help with the depression or anxiety. In some cases, the expertise of a psychiatrist may be needed. This is especially true when things you have been trying have not worked. 

Also when you are depressed or anxious don't forget to eat healthy and exercise regularly to release endorphins which make you happier. Staying active and being seeking out social support are very important for overcoming depression and anxiety. 

If you are in need of help call your doctor or if you are under 18 you can call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868. The ROCK in Burlington also has a drop-in clinic every Wednesday where you can just show up and be assessed. They have resources and programs that you can be connected to which can help you get better. 

What I've Learned

When I had depression and anxiety all I wanted to do was lay in bed, avoid people and situations and be alone all the time.  I never wanted to leave the house. When I was forced to I would never talk to anyone, I would usually sit in the corner on my phone or ask my parents when we could leave. When I was depressed and anxious I had no motivation to do anything. Most mornings I didn’t want to get out of bed so unfortunately I missed a lot of school which lead me to get very behind. I lost interest in almost everything. I no longer wanted to go to dance or talk to my friends outside of school. I had a lot of trouble sleeping and concentrating on school work was very hard.  Looking back on how I initially handled the situation, I realize that I shouldn’t have skipped school and avoided friends and social situations.  I should have used something called exposure therapy. Even though you just want to lay in bed all day and avoid things, you need to force yourself to get up and do the things that you are avoiding. I learned that avoiding things didn’t make my situation any better and in some ways actually made it worse. I also learned that wishing or hoping for the problem to resolve on its own is not helpful. When you are depressed or anxious you have to learn coping strategies and work hard to get better.  

What is Depression and Anxiety?

While depression and anxiety are very common, they are often misunderstood.  I created this short video last year in grade 8 to try and educate people. I hope that I can get this video shown in schools to other students as I think it would be very helpful. I got the idea from the “Bell Let’s Talk” commercials. It is very easy to misunderstand when someone is depressed or anxious and to think that something different is going on. This unfortunately leads to a lack of understanding which contributes to the stigma and people’s reluctance to get help. 

http://youtu.be/KWocTYuONWU

My Story

As a child I was told that I was a “ray of sunshine” with a “sunny disposition”.  I always had a big smile on my face, had fun where ever I went and loved to laugh and joke around. But then in grade 6 things changed.  I was bullied everyday by someone I used to call my best friend.  This was extremely hard for me because I couldn’t understand why she would do this to me and what I had done wrong. I blamed myself. My former friend was very popular and I soon had many bullies. The bullying was not your typical fistfights where it is very physical and obvious.  It was typical of girl bullying which tends to be subtle and prey on emotions.  It involved things such as dirty looks, name calling, intimidation and exclusion.  Unfortunately, this form of bullying wasn’t considered bullying and it was very hard to catch. My teachers didn’t seem to understand and even put one of the bullies in charge of me (to cue me for homework and transitions in the class) which gave them even more power. I coped as best I could and managed to get through the year but was definitely depressed and very anxious. 

Over the summer to grade 7, I made a friend and we were then in the same class and things were great until the bullying followed me. Half way through February I switched schools. We realized that I needed a fresh start as things were not improving.  It was the best thing I did for my health and for the remainder of the year I actually got better. Unfortunately, the next year the bullying returned.  At that moment I felt defeated and I again was depressed and anxious but not as bad as when I was in grade 6 and 7.  The bullying was handled way better than it was at the other school.  I felt supported and had new coping skills to rely on. So I got through that year and went on to this year where the bullying again re-surfaced but has been handled so well that my depression and anxiety have not been an issue.  I have now been told that the old happy positive Olivia is back !!

Depression and Anxiety

Why I Chose This Topic

I picked this topic because it truly means a lot to me. I have struggled with depression and anxiety in the past but I got help and was able to overcome it. Now I don’t feel anxious or depressed every day. I will occasionally have an “episode” here and there but they now don’t just happen out of the blue for no reason.  My anxiety or low mood are just triggered by something that may have happened which is normal for most people. 

I also picked this topic because so many people out there are struggling in silence because of the fear of being judged. The truth is 1 in 5 people suffer from some form of mental health issue. So why is there such a stigma around mental health when the odds of one of us having some form of mental health issue is huge? Unfortunately people are still not seeing mental health as that big of a deal. People don’t see it as anything more than just a feeling at best, when really it’s something way more than that. Depression and anxiety is something you can’t easily control on your own. The stigma, however, prevents people from talking and prevents them from getting help. During this blog I will tell my story along with how I got better. I will also be talking about what it is (the facts), what I’ve learned (treatments), and tips for building a positive life.