Confessions of a happy person

Hey guys! I'm participating in questival San Diego which is a 24 hour scavenger hunt/completing challenges and one of them is posting a picture in a blog!

I've forgotten how much blogging helps me let go of my negative thoughts. After my last post, the things I had been feeling anxious about got better without me even thinking about it.  With that, I wrote this post a couple weeks after Trump was elected president but I never posted it. After the events at  Charlottesville  this past weekend, I think a lot of anxieties have been brought up again so I thought it was a relevant post.  ------------------------------------------ Like many others, the election last week triggered a strong emotional response in me ranging from disbelief to anger to heartache and depression.  I worry about what a Trump presidency means for scientific progress and my career.  I worry about what it means for civil and women's rights.  I worry about what it means for international relations and if we're on the brink of a nuclear world war (or a civil one).  But despite all that.... I still have fait...

In one more month, it'll have been two years since I started this blog. I keep apologizing for not posting as frequently, so I'm not going to make any more false promises! (I think the last time I posted I said I would post at least once a month). In any case, I still like having this blog and I still think it's important that we have discussions about mental healthiness. I honestly believe that most people will go through a period of depression at one point or another in their life-time. And I think it's those rough times that will help us understand when someone else is going through something similar. I definitely notice more and more people talking about their mental issues which I think just confirms that these are things that everyone struggles with. I also think it's important that I be a part of this conversation because I'm sure people look at me and wouldn't think that I struggle with anxiety and depression. But despite that, I still thin...

I've written posts about what I call my "funks"  (depression just sounds too serious for me) before but just to summarize, these are periods of days where I have very low motivation, overthink just about everything, and generally have pretty low self-esteem... along with the physical symptoms of stress too . One way I'll know I'm in a funk is that I'll often feel like I'm on the verge of crying. I used to have them quite frequently but now not as much. But I'll still have one now and then and it'll catch me off guard. They still suck just as much  but I've learned to manage them so that at least they don't get in the way of my life. Over the past year, I've picked up a list of things I do to manage the funks: 1. The number one most helpful thing in managing my negative thoughts is my planner.  It helps me remember and organize the million-and-one things I need to do so I don't feel so overwhelmed. It also helps me stay focused...

I know I'm posting a lot less than I used to and for the most part I'm doing a lot better.  Except when I'm not.  And when I'm not, the most I can do is just cope with it and wait until the funk passes.  Which.... can.... feel..... like.... it..... takes..... forever.....  During the funk, I have to make lists of exactly what I'm going to do and what time (including easy things like going grocery shopping). Then I just commit (in other words, not overthink) to getting one thing done at a time. And it really helps because just like downward spirals, I sometimes have upward spirals.  I'll get one thing done and feel accomplished and move on to the next, and eventually I'll not feel like in a funk anymore.  BUT... sometimes that one thing can still be too much because something didn't go the way I planned and I know it's not a big deal but whyyyy and I just get overwhelmed and feel even worse.... So I just have to accept that ...