Hymas 1

Abbey Hymas

Ms. Teuscher

English 2010

01 April 2019

Notebook #2

This post about a text thread

shows a one sided conversation

between a single individual and

social anxiety. It symbolizes the

thoughts that can go through

someone who suffers from

anxiety’s head. I personally have

had thoughts and experiences

similar to what this post is portraying. There have been many instances where I would “mind

read” someone’s mind, meaning I assume what other people are thinking. These assumptions are

never positive and never to lead to anything good. In fact, this negative thought usually kick

starts a downward spiral, where basically anything and everything negative comes crashing at

you all at once and the mind gets overwhelmed and slowly shuts down.
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This post came off very contradictory to me.

It refers to “the force” which was first

​ ovies. Using a
introduced in the ​Star Wars m

well known movie seems to be a positive way

to describe a very sad and negative topic

seemingly contradicting itself. However it could help people understand what having anxiety is

like. People who have never had anxiety, can think about anxiety as “the force”, helping them

understand a little bit more of what it is like to actually suffer from anxiety. It is something that

cannot be escaped or cast aside, it is always present in the mind. It just casts terrifying thoughts

at you almost constantly. People who do suffer from anxiety may be able to personally relate to

this post and find comfort in knowing that they are not the only one who is dealing with anxiety

all the time.

This post is a conversation between two

people who seem to be related or friends based on

the concerned tone of their dialogue. Friends and

family tend to know when someone they care about

is acting different or seems to be struggling. I can

personally relate to the material within the text.

There were many times, especially before I knew I

had anxiety and depression, where I mistook my

different behaviors or moods for being “tired” when really it was because of a much bigger

problem. People would ask if I’m okay and I would just assume I was okay and that the reason I
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was acting different was only because of lack of sleep-not the case. On the bright side, something

comforting to know, seeing that someone else has posted this, is I am not the only one who has

felt this way. There are other people who have dealt with or are dealing with similar issues to me.

I am not alone in this.

This post is a very good description

of what it feels like to have anxiety and

depression. Its context is confusing and

contradictory which is exactly what it

feels like for those who suffer from these

mental illnesses. Anxiety and depression

themselves almost feel like opposites of

each other. Anxiety can keep your mind

awake as you constantly think and worry

about anything and everything-most of

which are irrational thoughts or cognitive disorders. Depression can make people feel very numb

and indifferent so they don’t have any desire to do anything. When I feel this way, it is hard to

concentrate or focus on the task at hand because I don’t want to do it. I would rather just lay in

bed all day. As you can see, these two mental disorders are opposites of each other in an indirect

way. Anxiety keeps the mind awake and running, but in a negative way, and depression tires out

both the mind and the body causing one to lose any desires to do anything. This post explains

this information perfectly through the examples it listed. For example, “It’s the fear of failure,
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but no urge to be productive.” The two statements are opposite of each other, but are somehow

present at the same time. THAT is what anxiety and depression feel like.

I absolutely love and

adore this post because

although my topic of anxiety

and depression is a very

serious and solemn subject,

there are still positive and

encouraging parts to it like

therapy. Getting help is so important and actually essential to coping with such illnesses. It’s

especially inspiring to see popular celebrity, Lili Reinhart, who is struggling with the same

illnesses, encouraging people to see a therapist because she knows from personal experience the

good seeing a therapist can bring into an individual’s life. Seeing how Lili has turned out through

her experiences can be reassuring to many people that with professional help everything can turn

out okay. I really appreciate the last line she said about how it “Doesn’t matter how old you are

or how “proud” you’re trying to be.”. No one can deal with anxiety and depression on their own,

and it is scary for people to admit that they need help. It takes an immense amount of courage.

However, if an individual can set aside their pride and fear and get some help, the outcome will

be greater than expected.