Guest Expert by Carrie Thompson. Follow her @carriethompsonauthor -on Instagram

Until I started my journey with anxiety, there were so many myths that I used to believe whole-heartedly. It took a few years, a lot of personal experience and quite a few conversations with my therapist to really iron out the truth. The reason I wanted to write my book and begin sharing my story was to help bring some truth to these misguided beliefs about anxiety and mental health disorders in general. The more we start to share and become more transparent with our peers, the faster we can combat these misguided beliefs and bring awareness to the facts about life with anxiety.

I think the biggest myths, in my opinion, is that people with anxiety, and mental health disorders in general, are easily identifiable. Some people believe we are easily identifiable by the way we look, behave, or speak. They might think we are crazy or unstable individuals or maybe that we are all people who have had extremely traumatic life experiences or were raised in an unhealthy environment. No high functioning professionals with lives full of abundance could ever suffer and that mental health issues only belong to those less fortunate.  All of that is false.

I know that while I was growing up, I would always hear “there’s just something not right with that person” or similar sentiments about people struggling with mental health disorders. The stigmas were prevalent, and as children, we never received proper education on mental health and mental health disorders, because it was taboo. I mean even today education around mental health disorders does not exist in general curriculum. It is something that has to be sought out. I strongly believe the aforementioned plays a large part in the development of stigmas and myths around mental health, especially when it comes to identifying someone in your life who is suffering or working through recovery.

What I am here to tell you is that anxiety does not discriminate. Sure, there are plenty of people who have suffered horrific traumas and unhealthy upbringings that suffer with mental health disorders, but some of us took chronic worrying and turned it into a full-fledged case of generalized anxiety disorder (“GAD”). 

I am one of those people. I was your average college girl, striving to get her Master of Accounting and pass her CPA exam. My support system of family and friends was, and still is, extraordinarily strong. I had a job I loved, a decent social life and a bright future ahead. However, my chronic worry and fear-based thinking finally landed me with a diagnosis of GAD. I was so afraid for so long to talk about what I was going through, because the few times I had, no one could relate or thought I was making stuff up. When I finally got over those fears and feeling like an outcast and started talking to more people about my experience, no one believed that I could possibly have GAD. On the outside I was so outgoing, friendly, optimistic, happy, fun and funny, a total extrovert. What people did not see was the person I was on the inside. Anxious, scared, constantly worrying, unable to consistently find joy or happiness, upset with where I was in life, disappointed in myself for letting it get this far.

There may be loved ones in your life who are feeling this same way, which is important to recognize. Instead of sticking to an unhealthy and untrue belief system, starting really asking the people around you how they are feeling. Learn about their experience and provide encouragement. It could be your best friend, sister, brother, mother, uncle, wife, husband, or father. Heck, it could be the person that says hi to you every day at the gym or the co-worker that sits across from you at work. Just because we look like you, does not mean that we always feel that way.

And if you are someone that suffers, you are not alone. That was a myth I believed for so long, long enough that it partially led to my demise. Express your thoughts and feelings to the people who care about you. On numerous occasions, I have found that my friends and family have had similar experiences but were also too afraid to speak up. Having a kindred spirit, or at least a trusty sidekick, to go through suffering and healing with makes it that much better.

Do not be afraid. Even if you have a few naysayers, you will learn that they do not have your best intentions at heart. You are really doing yourself a favor by being able to easily identify and remove negativity from your life so that you are can grow and thrive. And the people that do support you will be proud of your strength and bravery to speak up. Your relationships will become stronger because of your openness, and so much of the added stress will fall away, because you can finally be yourself.

Another myth I hate is that using medication for mental health disorders is a sign of weakness or craziness. That is just not true. I used to be terrified to take anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication, because I thought it would make me look weak. I looked at using meds as a death sentence. If I would not have believed those lies for so long, I would have gotten the help I needed much sooner. Mental health disorders are chemically driven. When your body is not functioning at its best and your brain chemicals are out of balance, your mental health suffers. I tried for so long to use therapy and other holistic approaches to heal myself, but it just was not enough. While holistic approaches are integral in a recovery journey, sometimes you need medication to help get you where you need to be. Allowing the outside world to dictate what was right for my mental health was a huge mistake. It took a complete mental breakdown for me to say “okay, I will try the meds.” I do not want other people to get to this stage. If you feel like you have nowhere else to turn, seek out a good psychiatrist and examine your options. I promise, you will be glad you did.

The last myth is that mental health treatment ie: therapy, medication, at home practices, are only for people that suffer with mental health disorders. No freaking way. Mental health is health. We go to doctor appointments to take care of our bodies. We work out, eat healthy, stretch, and drink water. Why wouldn’t we treat our minds with the same respect?!

Everyone has a brain; therefore, everyone has mental health. Meditation, journaling, and gratitude practices lead to a happier, healthier you. Going to therapy is for everyone. We all have issues in our life that are more easily worked out with some professional guidance. Waiting until trauma to start is not the way to go. Nourishing every part of us, mind, body, and soul, should be something we take seriously and take pride in.Mental health and mental health disorders are important and should be discussed openly. Breaking down stigmas and defeating myths encourages us who suffer to share and educate without fear. The strength and resilience it takes to overcome our struggles is something we should all be proud of and want to share with the world. Sharing creates change and provides a safe space for us to come together as fellow humans.

Remember to always be kind and open-minded, regardless of your beliefs. You never know what you could learn or the impact you could make.