One of my goals for 2018 was to to get a little more personal about my life. This is actually a lot harder than I thought it was going to be…I have actually had this post written for more than a month and have just now decided to share it! Feels a little bit more vulnerable than I want, but I am just going to go for it. I am by no means an expert on any of this, but I want to share my personal experience dealing with depression and anxiety in hopes that it will help some of you. This is my story…
Back in 2005, I was starting college at Oklahoma State University. I was excited and hoped that my college experience was going to be everything I wanted. I was going to be best friends with my roommate, go to all the parties and my long distance boyfriend from high school and I were going to make things work. Unfortunately, that was not the case. While, I loved the idea of being 4 hours away from home and being on my own for the first time, I actually hated it. I wasn’t that close with my roommate (wasn’t her fault…she was really sweet, but she was busy with rushing for a sorority) and I wasn’t going to rush for a sorority, which was really the only way to meet a lot of people in a large school like OSU.
I quickly realized that my college experience wasn’t what I had expected. I was so homesick, missed my boyfriend and was very unhappy with it all. I made friends, but something still wasn’t right with me. I wasn’t happy and all I wanted to do was sleep. I felt like I was dragging around a huge weight with me. I would go home a lot this year (honestly almost every weekend) and begged my Dad to let me transfer to another school. I thought this would help solve my unhappiness. He actually didn’t want me to transfer schools, but I applied to schools in Texas anyway. I got accepted to the University of North Texas and transferred in 2006. At first, I was a lot happier because I was closer to home and to my boyfriend. However, I still was struggling with depression and anxiety. On the outside I looked happy, but the inside was a different story. I felt anxious about life.
My mom and I had lunch a lot during this time and she would always ask if I was okay and as soon as she did I would start crying for no reason. Now, if you know me, then you know I am extremely emotional, but this was something different. She knew something was wrong and so did I, but I couldn’t figure it out. She suggested I start seeing a professional on a weekly basis. This helped a lot, but didn’t fix the problem completely. Over the next couple of years, I would see my therapist who would help me find my way through my struggles. I was still very unhappy, but tried to hide it as best as I could.
2010 is when everything started changing for the better. One day, out of the blue, I broke up with my boyfriend. I still don’t exactly recall why I did it, except for the fact that I just knew I didn’t want to be with him forever, which is where we were headed. It was like a light switch went off in my head. I finally faced my fear and let him go. My friends and family had wanted me to do this all along, but I was blind to it because I loved him. I am not saying that he was fully to blame, but when we were together it wasn’t good. I broke up with him after 5 years, which I have to say was one of the hardest things I had to do. I went through a lot in order to feel better, but boy once all the heartache was gone it was gone for good.
I finally started to feel like myself again. I was taking better care of myself, not drinking as much and just enjoying life. I also found my faith again! I still struggle with anxiety today, but I feel like I can manage it a lot better now. Blogging has really helped me in a lot of ways, as well as Brian. Pushed me beyond my boundaries and made me get out there. I mean I still get super nervous in large crowds or meeting a lot of people at once, but it is a lot more manageable now then it used to be.
I wrote this post as a way to tell you all that if you struggle with depression or anxiety talk to someone about it. Don’t struggle in silence because I did for a long time and I wish I didn’t. Don’t feel like there is something wrong with you either because on average 6.7% of Americans struggle with depression and 18.1% are suffering from anxiety. And of those not even half of them receive treatment. I actually lost two friends of mine this past year because of depression. They took their own lives because they didn’t feel like they had any other option! And I don’t want that to happen to anyone. You are loved and wanted!
Thank you so much for reading! I know this was a long post and definitely not as light hearted as most of my posts, but I am trying something a little different this year. Let me know what you think about this and if you like these types of posts!
Who to contact if you are struggling with depression, anxiety or thoughts of suicide:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Anxiety & Depression Association of America
If you are located in Dallas there is the Out of the Darkness Walk to help raise awareness about Suicide Prevention. To get more information and register to walk click here.
Thank you so much for sharing this Nataly! I love the more vulnerable post, I think a lot of times people think other bloggers lives are truly perfect. You are more than brave for sharing this post and I know that it will help someone who is feeling the same way you did.
Thanks again for sharing! xo, Lydia
Thanks for reading Lydia! I am by no means perfect and I think it is important to be transparent about that in hopes that someone who might be feeling the same way can benefit from your journey! You are very sweet and thank you again for stopping by!
I struggle with a lot of these issues as well. Thank you for being so honest and open with us!
Thank you Taylor! I am glad you enjoyed the post!
Nataly, my most sweet perfect second daughter, i cant begin to tell you how proud of you i am for having the courage to share your heart! Thank you for your transparency. I love you to the moon and back times infinity! My sweet perfect youngest child…love to you…your mom❤️
I love you Mom! I am so glad you loved the post! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this. I know it isn’t easy but it’s so helpful for others going through this.
Thank you for reading Taylor! 🙂
This is such a very encouraging post. Thank you for sharing this to us. Will definitely share this.
Thank you so much Helen! You are very sweet to do that!
Your so brave ! Very happy you are sharing your story. It will help so many others ❤️
Thank you Vanessa! I am so glad you liked the post.
Aw, thank you so much for sharing such a vulnerable part of you!! I think you are amazing and I’m so happy to hear things got better!
Kileen
cute & little
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Kileen! It really means a lot to me!
Thanks for sharing your struggles and the changes you made in your life for the better– definitely couldn’t have been easy to go through all this. Much love!!
Thank you Amanda! xo
Thank you for opening up and being unedited, raw and real. I went through this as well and it took years to let go of the pain I felt and be happy and love myself again. You are not alone and either is a lot of other people dealing with this as well.
Thank you for reading Tonya! xo
Nataly! You are such a strong and courageous soul. Thank you for opening up to us and reassuring us that we are not alone. I definitely have a bad case of anxiety (some days it comes out more than others) and this year I am working harder and more actively to improve that. It definitely helps to talk to someone trustworthy. Thanks for sharing your experience and keep shining! xoxo
Thank you Sharon! You are so very sweet to say that! Anxiety is always a struggle and I agree some days are better than others. I hope you are able to improve it this year! xo
It’s so beautiful that you shared your experience! I’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety for years. The hardest for me is to accept the fact that I have to be on medication to function….. it feels like I’m not strong enough or give up. Being open does help, to know that you aren’t alone! Hugs, Kait
Here’s a post I wrote on the subject: https://www.baskinginburgundy.com/carrie-fisher-losing-much-princess/
Hi Kait! Thank you so much for reading! I will be checking out your post too. xo
You’re so brave and I love how raw you are. I suffer from anxiety myself and it’s no as severe but I can understand you. Thank you for this, it’ll be a great encouragement for others like us.
xx
Iliana | http://www.sophisticatedfashionista.com
Thank you so much Iliana it really means a lot to me! I am so glad I was able to encourage you through this post!
Thank you so much for being honest about your experience! Its important that we talk about these things – Thank you!
Britt+Whit
I totally agree Whit! Thank you for reading!
I’m so happy you posted this! You are so right, we need to share these feelings and know that you are not alone!
Thanks so much Kasey! That really means a lot to me! xo
Nats! Your vulnerability and openness is a breath of fresh air. You have always been so soft hearted and genuine. I love you sis! You know I’m always there for you!
Thank you Amanda! I am glad you enjoyed the post. I love you too!
It’s so important to share this stuff! It helps people relate to you! Thank you so much for sharing!
xx,
Lacey
Thank you for writing your story! I struggle with social anxiety and it’s so hard to talk about sometimes. I’m glad you were able to let go of a relationship that wasn’t good for you and come out stronger on the other end!
Wow, this was quite the read! I love that you are so open about your life and reading this was so eye-opening. One of my good friends struggles with this as well, so it was nice seeing someone else’s perspective on it!
Keep up these kind of posts, I really enjoyed seeing your perspective on this!
Denise | Fashion Love Letters
Thank you so much for sharing this, you’re a great soul and I wish you all the best. You’re so right, you don’t have to do it alone, talk to someone. ???