@aph-japan / aph-japan.tumblr.com
You don’t have to be healed to deserve the good things in your life.
-Josue Camargo
"don't worry about how other people perceive you" okay but like how they treat me is frequently determined by how they perceive me and I would prefer people be niceys to me
Having anxiety doesn’t make you a coward, it makes you a brave person who deals with anxiety.
When I say, “My anxiety is acting up,” I’m really saying, “There’s no reason to be afraid. It’s just my disorder talking, and I can do something to calm down.” It’s positive.
When I say, “My depression is bad today,” I’m really saying, “I’m not worthless and I don’t deserve to die or give up. It’s just my disorder talking, and I should get up and look for what’s good about today.” It’s positive.
When I say, “My ADHD means my brain is wired differently,” I’m really saying, “I’m not a stupid piece of shit who will amount to nothing. It’s just that my brain needs help making certain connections and chemicals, and with certain processes, and there are lots of things I can try to work with it instead of against it.” It’s positive.
Talking about and accepting my disorders is the most radically positive thing I can do. It isn’t pessimism; it’s optimism. It isn’t defeatism; it’s hope. It’s direction, and action, and learning to regain control of my life.
So I don’t give a fuck if it annoys you or makes you uncomfortable. I don’t care if you think I need to think of myself as “more than my disorders”. Because I don’t think that having disorders makes me lesser. And I’m not going to silence myself because you disagree.
You’re fucking wrong, and I won’t let my own silence be the death of me.
people with anxiety disorders are so brave like we feel unbearable amounts of anxiety over doing things like going to the doctor or getting on a plane or talking on the phone or taking a test but sometimes we find the strength to do those things anyway even though we’re terrified out of our minds and that’s really amazing. people with anxiety are brave as hell
I’m pretty sure I’d still have panic disorder if capitalism didn’t exist tbh
Like clockwork in my family as soon as a generation starts getting into their late teens and early 20s about a quarter of the young adults start getting regular panic attacks and the rest of them start getting random phobias and the proper adults are all known in their friend groups as the one that worries a lot. It’s just as genetic as high blood pressure.
And like with high blood pressure, yeah some people may be able to avoid it if they do all the right things and are in the right environment. But some people are just gonna get it no matter what they do. Saying blanket statement that capitalism is the sole cause of anxiety and depression is like saying that capitalism is the sole cause of heart disease. Sure, it made it way worse. But it sure as hell existed way before any kind of economics was even conceived.
Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It’s normal to feel other emotions besides happiness. Thinking positive just means that, even on the most difficult days, you know there are and there will be better days ahead.
Don’t feel bad if you have to leave an environment that wasn’t good for you! It takes courage and strength to choose your health and search for a better life.
Instead of going "but have you tried-" every time you meet a disabled person, assume competence. Assume that we've already done our research. Assume that we are knowledgeable about our condition(s). Assume that we are doing everything we can to manage our disabilities well.
in case no one’s told you yet, you feel exhausted and hungover and sometimes even sick after panic attacks/meltdowns/flashbacks/dissociative episodes/etc. because of very real chemical processes that are involved in your nervous system activation and de-activation during those times. it’s chemical dump effects, and no, you SHOULDN’T be able to just brush it off and feel and act normal. you’ve got a bunch of physical things that got activated and that all has to wind down. It’s not in your head, it’s very physical, and you need to work WITH your body during the after-periods instead of trying to curb stomp it. be gentle to yourself, okay?
