Some Common Causes of Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression have serious negative effects on a person’s functionality and wellbeing. It’s important to know about your condition, and what causes it to further help your recover. My mental health deteriorated over the course of a year as I felt like it was controlling me, mainly because I was not aware of what was causing me to feel this way. The point when I started to improve was when I realised that I had full control of my emotional and mental health. It was up to me to identify the aspects of my life that needed to change in order for me to progress through this hardship.
Lack of general structure, routine.
Structure or routine in your life is so important if you are subject to states of depression or anxiety. Structure refers to work, hobbies, study, social life, etc. and plays a crucial role in your sense of purpose and direction in life. If you are not working, playing sport, making music, or whatever it is, you may feel as you have no constants going on in your week, which breeds anxious thoughts about the future. Going from one thing to the next with no real direction can also bring on feelings of worthlessness and despair.
Having something concrete going on in your life can give you a great deal of relief from chaotic activity going on in your head. For me it’s my sport and work, I know what days I’m working each week and when I’m training and playing to give my lifestyle routine.
Pursuit of money.
The pursuit of money and materialism will never give you lasting fulfilment. Things are temporary, you will always be looking for something more to fill the void. Note that I’m not talking about trying to earn wealth to support a comfortable lifestyle; I’m talking about the pre-conceived idea that money will pay for your happiness, and that if you are rich you are happy. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are also the most stressed and unhappy, managing big businesses and financial institutions.
I was in my third year of my chemical engineering degree, with promises of 90K+ packages straight out of university, but I was not fulfilled, and ultimately hated everything about the degree I was doing. This was because I thought that I’d use the money earned for things I’m passionate about later in life. Unfortunately I didn’t think about the present, I was not happy now, my grades were suffering as a result and I would have to work in an office for a large portion of my adulthood to earn enough to relax later in life. For me this was undesirable, so I decided to roll the dice. I deferred, went travelling and took some time away to realise what I wanted to do the rest of my life, and it worked.
Comparing yourself or your life to others.
This is something that can have detrimental effects on your mental health. It is illogical to do it. You can never be anyone else but yourself, and you are probably better than most at a certain set of things than others and vice versa. Comparing what your life is to someone else’s distorts your perception as its usually through social media, and everyone only ever posts the best aspects of their lives on the internet. Everyone has his or her own version of success. Some may be family oriented, some career driven, but each measure success in a different way and they’re both equally valid. Focusing on you and what you are doing eliminates the negative thoughts arising from comparison. And remember, everyones else’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems.
You have nothing to prove, just be yourself and flourish.
From the ashes, you will rise.
Liam.