As humans, it is impossible for us to live within small and confined spaces. If we were to ever be in a situation where we are in a room with walls closing in, the first thing we do is panic. We get anxious and immediately try to find a way out. The walls push us in closer and closer, and following that is when we accept our fate. Now, imagine that happening constantly.
Having both anxiety and depression feels like being overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time, and on the really bad days, it feels like walls crushing in on you. Sometimes, it happens out of nowhere and sometimes, there is a reason. Imagine you have a health bar above you, and it is a two versus one. The chances of winning seem slim to none, right?
As someone who is trying to cope with both opponents, I try my best to not let emotions I cannot control dictate my life. Some days I am successful, and I am able to gain the strength to push the walls away. On the other hand, some other days, it gets the better of me, and soon, the walls become a tower too treacherous to attempt to climb down.
Trying to be a damsel in distress as well as the knight in shining armor is no easy task. Slipping on rocks of irritability, lack of focus, change in attitude, getting nervous about being sad and other symptoms on the way down makes you feel like climbing back up and staying in the tower. However, the most courageous thing you can do is climb down anyway.
According to Healthline, “Depression and anxiety are medical conditions, not the result of failure or weakness, and they’re absolutely not your fault. Without a doubt, the unwanted emotions they cause can lead to plenty of distress. But knowing depression and anxiety result from underlying causes and triggers, not anything you did or didn’t do, can promote self-compassion instead of criticism or self-punishment.”
Take Rapunzel for example: she was kidnapped and locked in a tower for 18 years, but even that could not tame her fierce courageous spirit as she dared to see the lanterns in person and become an even stronger person.
She is one of my favorite Disney princesses because not only does she have a bubbly and creative personality, but she is able to maintain it even in the face of adversity. Even in “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure,” she is faced with more and more struggles that affect her mental health, but due to her unbreakable spirit and the people around her she inspired, she does not yield into defeat.
So, if the walls seem like they will keep at it to crush you, just know that you are stronger than your emotions. We will have good days and we will have bad days, but the greatest strength is seeing the light in the midst of darkness.
If your depression and/or anxiety tries to get the best of you, you can still win the two versus one. You are strong and courageous, and you will soon look at the walls and the tower from ground level.