Moving Forward.

I'm not really sure if people read my blog posts, but here's another. I like to think that this is like a live journal minus all the private, personal things. We can all agree that 2020 has been a shitty year to live through, but not all of 2020 sucked. It was full of lessons and I can say I've survived, mentally and emotionally. And I'm here to talk about them.

Even before the US reported its first Covid-19 case, the year definitely started off crappy. If you read my blog post from the beginning of this year, I've gotten my heartbroken, which didn't make sense to me because it was short-lived. I found myself very depressed and I didn't understand why the guy I dated did what he did. I ended up just losing myself and being so hung up on someone who completely played me (who by the way liked me first). In my time of needing someone by my side, I was let down by people who I thought were supposed to be there for me. Turns out, all they did was disappoint me. This year showed me their true colors. Everyone heals differently and everyone heals in different paces. These people, unfortunately, didn't understand that. Yes, they did cared at one point but they added onto my mental and emotional struggles. They were giving me unsolicited advice and were somewhat judgmental with everything I did. They were slightly manipulative in how they wanted me to feel by bring up flaws and trauma. The only thing humans have control of is their own emotions and thoughts. Humans cannot control another being's feelings unless they were to use manipulation. As you may know, I am very open about my mental disorders but trying to explain that my mental disorders make it difficult to get through some situations was getting repetitive and tiring. It was hard to get through their thick skulls. Anxiety disorder shouldn't be looked at as only being stressed and thought to be as an ordinary common thing. Being told "everyone has anxiety" is a stigma that should be broken. Yes, everyone gets anxiety, but not everyone has anxiety disorder. Depression, anxiety's partner in crime, shouldn't be looked at as just being sad. My depression is like being at war with myself and feeling hopeless and like I have no purpose in life. I was told by one of these people that I will never be happy, and that was one of the most ignorant things a person can say to someone struggling everyday in their life trying to fulfill that emptiness in their soul. I've also been told this year "go to talk to a therapist" in the most condescending way, which made me feel angry and hurt because I started  to believe that there was something wrong with me and no one wanted to listen, but that was what my anxiety told me. Nothing is wrong with me at all. I've realized that these people who I used to trust gave up on me. I needed someone to just talk to and validate how I'm feeling. Communication is always key, but communication was the issue. We often disguise out thoughts as our feelings, which is a common flaw in everyone. An example would be that someone can say that the feel like they can't reach out to you or talk to you because they feel like they will add onto your issues. Are those really feelings or just thoughts? If you are thinking that they are thoughts, you are correct. That is not your emotions telling you that, but rather it is your thoughts. With these broken/toxic friendships, I began to feel hopeless that I did seek professional help. Now, these people may think I got professional help because they "suggested" me to go, but little do they know, they were the issue. It was their unkind words and lack of communication skills that drove me mad up to the point where I did hit rock bottom. Losing these friendships was definitely hurtful because I don't ever lose friends. I can say that it was a blessing though. By losing them, I was able to properly heal, find my confidence, and be able to feel happy with myself. I haven't felt this happy with myself in years. What is actually sad is that these people won't see this. But in the end, I'm only here to prove to myself that I'm stronger than what my intrusive thoughts tell me. I made a lot of personal accomplishments this year without them and I can continue making accomplishments.

Journey to Finding Happiness.

Those who know me well, and those who actually follow what I post on this blog know that I have general anxiety and persistent depression. For a while, I've been through very high ups and very high downs. Mostly very high downs. It's something I wish I can fully control, but it's a work in progress. I have never actually publicly mentioned this, but about a year ago, I chose the option to be on medication since I wasn't finding anything helping me. My anxiety is an ongoing thing, while my depression comes and goes. I've done everything I can to make me feel good about myself and life in general, but nothing helped. My anxiety gotten worse where I would have panic attacks, and my depression causing me to constantly be tearful and unmotivated. Then I sought help elsewhere from counseling. I went to see a psychiatrist for treatment. I was prescribed an antidepressant and it definitely helped. Of course it only helps during a certain amount of hours during the day. Even when I was on the antidepressant, the anxiety and depression lingered. Through treatment, I was finding myself learning techniques lessening the anxiety, but not much the depression because I wasn't depressed all the time. I was gaining back my appetite after being on the antidepressant for a while. I used to eat very little without the antidepressant due to my high anxiety levels. I found myself eating more due to the medication, but also feeling empty/depressed from time to time. So, the medication had caused me to gain weight making me feel worse about myself.
At one point, I thought that I could be feeling empty because I was lonely all the time or felt lonely all the time. Of course I had my friends and family who I love dearly, but for some reason that wasn't enough. I was desperate in finding a significant other. I thought maybe if I strongly liked someone who strongly liked me also, then I would feel happy. That theory was only temporary. I ended up trying different dating apps and talking to strangers, but it usually would not work out well. So, then I deleted them all.
One day when I had my annual physical check-up, my doctor had found some changes that I was becoming unhealthy. I gained a lot of weight, my blood test showed some changes that I was borderline unhealthy. I came to the realization that I was a mess. I let myself go. I wasn't taking care of myself and my body. I had the mentality that I did't have to worry about anything, because I'm still young. I was wrong. I let my mental health take over who I am. With that scare, I forced myself to get back into the routine of eating healthier and exercising more.
At the moment, I am focusing more on myself. I am trying to worry less about finding my significant other. I've been going on morning runs and exercising every day, which makes me motivated in doing and trying different things, like being a social butterfly and getting work done quickly. My runs make me feel so much better. I feel less stressed, less anxious, less depressed. I feel happier. I am moving towards dealing with my mental health without the help of medication, which was always a goal. I am finally going through a positive path. Let's just hope it will last.

Emptiness.

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I wish I was able to not fake my happiness most days. It really sucks to constantly feel this emptiness in your gut. I know that there are a bunch of techniques to trick the mind into thinking you are totally okay, but it also takes a lot of energy. I am always tired and not always up for working my brain unless I have to. I mean, fatigue is one of the symptoms of depression, which is something I deal with everyday. I know that my anxiety is the primary reason to my depression. Me worrying leads to me becoming depressed. Recently, I haven't been so depressed that I forget to eat, or I'm feeling tearful. I just feel like there's something I'm missing in my life and I can't pinpoint it. I'm happy with all the people that I have in my life. I'm happy with the things I have. I just don't know what's making me feel unhappy. Again, it could be me just worrying that's making feel this way. It sucks when there's a chemical imbalance in my brain when I try my best to live my life to the fullest. Though, I am now starting to get out my own comfort zone, and that's a good thing. I'm slowly getting there in terms of handling my anxiety well, but it's not something I can get rid of. I always find myself alone, even though I'm not. I can tell you that there is not a time where I have not thought about my existence. It is definitely one of the many things that run through my mind all the time. I sometimes feel like my heart is actually empty. Like, there's a hole in my chest. This empty feeling keeps me from doing most of the things I enjoy. It keeps me unmotivated to do anything, responsibilities or not. I wish I can actually explain exactly how I feel, but I don't know how and what it would be compared to. It's not like a someone emotionally hurt me, or ripped my heart from my chest kind of thing, because that didn't happen at all. I just feel like I'm letting myself rot slowly in misery.

Inhale, Exhale.

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It has been so long since I've last posted something. Probably, because I have been going to therapy and I've felt happier. Lately, my moods have gone down and I don't know why. I'm back to feeling negative vibes from people and I just don't know what to do. I suddenly feel very left out. I just started working at an internship right after I graduated as an undergrad (I still can't believe it), and I thought I would like it, but turns out I don't. I'm definitely not getting the experience that I want. And the environment just makes triggers both my anxiety and depression. It sucks. With this internship, I feel like I'm back in school rather than actually working. I'm given assignments and I have to format things. That's not what I want to do. I also don't get to shadow a professional, because everything is self-taught. I guess it's whatever with the school assignment aspect of the internship because I'm going to grad school, but I still want actual work experience. I'm constantly teared down by everything and a handful of people. I thought my panic attacks would lessen, but I've had more at this internship than during the semester. I've told people about my mental health to make them aware about what I go through and things that may happen to me. Though, I didn't think that so many people would be so insensitive. I am never feeling myself when I enter the office. I feel congested with judgment. It's hard for me to let go of things in the first place, so I will continuously think of the worst things possible. I'm just done with everything. It's my last week, and I plan to move forward to find something that I will be happy with. I will find the experience that I want and need to reach my goal. I just need to breathe in and breathe out slowly throughout the rest of the week.

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I Don't Know What To Do Anymore.

For a while, I 've been having trouble finding an internship. The process is nervewrecking, to be honest. I'm just starting to think that I'm not good enough for anything.  It totally sucks. I chose to be in one of the most competitive careers out there. Why? I'm not quite sure. I mean, I like the aspect of the career, but I have not yet landed an internship. That makes me feel worse about myself and I'm self-conscious about my grades. Maybe that's why, but I'm constantly told that grades don't really matter. On the other hand, it seems like it does because those who have better grades end up with the position. I can't really explain what goes on with my head. How I often lose motivation, and how I often lose focus because I'm worried about something else. I can't really explain that. There's no option for that when I'm applying, because it's not severe. Although my resume could say I'm not doing enough, I can't add that my grades are like this because of that. It's just not in the nature of a formal resume. You can't add a personal problem. Sometimes, like right now, I feel like I've made the wrong choice. I feel like maybe I've chose the wrong career path. It's like it's not right for me, but I don't know what to do anymore. I'm almost done. I'm almost getting my degree. So, why should I give up? I shouldn't. I put way too much pressure on myself and as a result, it gets worse for me. Maybe I should just stop thinking, but it's hard for me, because I'm constantly worrying. I have to remind myself that if I stop worrying so much and do what I did last semester, the outcome would be so much better for me. I just have to be strong about it.

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I'm an Adult?

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So, I'm considered an adult. What is the real definition of an adult? I don't feel like an adult. What makes me an adult? I'm still trying to figure things out. I'm trying to figure out life itself. I can't even get my life together, but if I did, I wouldn't be human. After weeks of relaxing after a whole year of being a student and taking classes, I finally got to relax. I have to admit, it felt weird when I was finally free from work. I then got used to being able to be carefree a bit. I then woke up to reality and I realized that I needed to find a job and internships to earn experience and some money while I finish my last year as an undergraduate. It's crazy how I'm almost done with school. I began my job and internship search this week and I also created a new cover letter. I just hope I'm good enough. To be honest, everything scares me and I just think of the worst for myself and of myself. I always feel pressured because I have the mind of a perfectionist. It actually sucks having that mind set sometimes, but hey, that's just who I am. I am now in my twenties and I would like to do a million things, but I'm afraid that I won't get to anytime soon. There are people my age who are fortunate enough to do those things that they've dreamt of now. I'm just waiting for my time to do those things. My mom has always told me to not think too much far ahead in life, because I am creating scenarios and I might end up disappointed in the end, which has happened before. I just need to find a way to only think of the present, be aware of the present, and keep my expectations leveled. The only way that I can do that is distract myself, like how I did during the recent spring semester. I actually surprised myself and was beyond happy. I'm usually... just content. As a reminder to myself, I should distract myself with only things happening in front of me, don't expect too much, and think positively, even when everything goes wrong or it's just not my day. I'm not a kid, but not an adult. I'm going to have times where it's okay to be a kid, and times where I have to be an adult, or the society's definition of an adult.

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