The logic of Sciences will tell you that depression, anxiety, stress are imbalances in the brain caused by the released chemicals that are like this and that, and etc. However, apart from that, let me introduce something different.
***Important note:
1. This is not a professional’s writing.
2. This is opinionated.
3. This isn’t based on any research or scientific logic.
4. This is just an assumption.
5. This is creative writing.
6. This is a reflection and insight.
7. This is an advice.
8. This is an inspirational writing resulted because of care for others.
9. This was written out of empathy and sympathy dedicated for understanding.
10. This was written by a student.
***Thanks for reading the note. God bless you.
The brain was known to be divided with left and right hemisphere anatomically. But, I will divide it according to it’s functionality.
The brain controls both emotions (physiological arousal includes) and cognition. Therefore, I will divide the brain as (1) feelings and (2) thoughts. Emotions are first processed by the brain and then sent into the whole body to arouse emotion. Thinking process obviously happens inside the brain; logical reasoning specifically is on the prefrontal cortex.
Depression, anxiety, stress, etc., is the state of being overwhelmed emotionally. But, what makes a person feel overwhelmed?
Basically, announced by both psychology and some individuals, problems are the sources of overwhelming feelings.
How do problems cause this extremely negative state that is “overwhelming”?
It has something to do with the person’s overall persona, or perspective to be clear. How he or she grew up, what sort of things he or she knows and understands, what certain beliefs he or she carries, and other particular orientations he or she has, these are the factors that affect a person’s reaction to certain things.
A person’s perspective is also greatly affected by his or her psychological health; and the psychological health of a person is vulnerable to his or her environment.
Perspective, psychological health, environment, these things are all interactive with each other. These are connected, stickied or glued, whatever you want to call it, it’s just that these three are extremely close to each other – naturally.
A person’s perspective dictates what sort of things would overwhelm him or her. A person’s perspective is not only his or her thoughts, but also including his or her feelings.
Thoughts and feelings together makes up a certain perspective. Got it?
However, the state of being overwhelmed only happens on the side of the feelings.
Your thoughts will make you feel overwhelmed. And at the same time, your feelings will make your brain think overwhelmed.
However: in the brain, the processing of emotions happens on the parts that are meant to control feelings/emotions as it’s function. This means that, depression, anxiety, and stress are emotional states created by some of “the parts of the brain – which we (above) named as feelings.”
No matter what emotions you feel, those are frankly caused by your own persona. Your perception always dictate what you’re going to feel.
That’s why, people who experience depression, anxiety, and stress have suicidal tendencies because their feelings are in great negative state which means, they are suffering extreme pain. However, not all pains are the same. Pains have different kinds or types or classifications – it depends.
Most of the time, depression, anxiety, and stress are known as the state of the emotion wherein, the person feels in extreme pain. It could be that the person feel extremely alone, extremely scared, extremely sad, extremely tired, extremely annoyed – emotions go extremes when depression, anxiety, and stress are being experienced.
“But, hey! If my feeling’s state is caused by my perspective, what is the right perspective that I should have about life then so that I won’t get overwhelmed?” If you’re asking this question now, you are asking the wrong question.
There’s no right and wrong perspective. Mmmmm… sometimes, there is for me. But that’s not what this is all about. All kinds of perspective are prone to depression, anxiety, and stress. There’s no perspective that wouldn’t make a person feel overwhelmed.
However, perspective dictates what sort of things would cause someone to be overwhelmed.
But, something is really, really funny here.
Apparently, that overwhelm psychological state was the cause of a lot of deaths. Some committed suicide, some were heart attacked, some were put down in a very unusual or crucial way. But, like what psychology says, this extremely overwhelming feeling is only temporary. It may last for years, but it won’t last forever. That’s why, when you’re in that state, don’t make big, big decisions about what’s going to happen for all the rest of your life. Most of all, don’t wish to end your life because the truth is, it is not the problem that you want to end or finish but rather, it is that overwhelming feeling. That negative emotional state you’re having is the reason why you feel so problematic, it is not the problem itself. I just got this information from guidance counselors.
In other words, your emotions are your problem – not the problem itself. Your emotion is like a baby, very, very vulnerable, that’s why you have to take care of it. And, please don’t think about disappearing because Mother Earth needs you. Okay? You are very important, if you could just realize it.
But that’s not the funny one that I am talking about – that’s not funny for me.
Now, what’s funny then? Why did I mentioned the word “funny”?
If you won’t believe me, just please don’t. But, the extremely negative psychological state – that are the depression, anxiety, stress, etc., is the doorway to “maturity”. Ironic, isn’t it? That’s what’s funny that I’m talking about. But, I don’t literally mean that it would make me or anyone literally laugh – no, that’s not what I’m trying to say.
Depression, anxiety, stress, and those like these are some things that you have to pass through before you can reach maturity. No matter how negative you think those may be, that’s just how it is.
There’s no easy way to reach “Maturity”, frankly speaking, only depression, anxiety, stress and some other psychological imbalances are the gateway – the bridge, to maturity.
Now, why did a lot of people die when those are actually bridges to maturity? They shouldn’t have died and got matured instead, right?
That’s a funny question and I have an answer. It has something to do with the person’s mental state and perspective.
If a person is feeling depressed, stressed, or anxious but his or her perception is positive, then the person is not likely to commit “suicide” or meet a deadly happening.
But, when a person with mental issues or a negative perspective feel depressed, stressed, or anxious, there is a lot of possibility that he or she would meet accidents and have suicidal tendencies.
Positive people are likely to benefit from depression, anxiety, or stress because they know how to handle it. Instead of trying to escape the feeling, they take the opportunity to get matured from it.
But, not all positive people can withstand these emotionally overwhelming states. Like for example the children, of course they are known to have positive outlook about life. But, if they are faced with depression, stress, or anxiety, it’s really going to be hard for them to survive it because they are still not mentally developed that much.
That’s why, take care of your children. Yes, it will be really hard for them to face those things, but with your presence, they’ll get stronger.
In addition, this means that problem is not the only source of these psychological overwhelming state, but it is also caused by maturity. That’s what’s happening to adolescents. As they get matured, the more they experience diffusion as the more they feel depressed, stressed, or anxious.
I shall now introduce the new meaning of depression, anxiety and stress according to me – but note, I don’t have any clue if my idea is the same with sombody else. If I sound just like someone you have heard of, that’s just a big, big coincidence. Okay? Got it? So please, don’t sue me of plagiarism. I’m scared of that.
Depression, anxiety, and stress are the risks of taking the track to maturity.
Many people are scared of facing these negative emotional state, that’s why they stay within the shell of their immaturity.
However, many people also are extremely resilient, and always take that risks just to get matured in every single moment.
But, they constantly feel depressed, stressed, or anxious because their maturity is arriving very fast. And, even if they are already matured, they still want to get matured more and more.
If you could understand what I’m saying, you’ll realize that everything above is only just an introduction to what I’m really going to say.
Now that we have talked about perspective which is composed of both thoughts and feelings, now that I have finished talking about how vulnerable emotions are, and since I mentioned that the parts of the brain can also be divided as thoughts and feelings (according to me, or anyone like me), let me then explain how to make a miracle by doing something different in your brain.
Depression is the state of withdraw, or it is when you’re already in the stage of diffusion. This is likely the state you have if you are already giving up, or feeling like giving up. Depression is like playing a survival game, yet you’re not actually living.
But, what do positive people do about it?
Hmmmm… guess what?
Hihihih. When you’re in the state of depression, you feel extremely sensitive or conscious – not cautious. Well, you are also cautious, but much more, you are conscious or aware.
A positive person will use depression to look at things with a different perspective in order to better understand the world. They use depression as a shift of perspective where they start to understand why people do certain things when something like this happens.
Since they know that they are in the state of “awareness”, they will use it to realize the reasons of why “the world of negativity” exists.
They will search for more important informations in order for them to understand other people, and the world.
Instead of trying to escape the feeling of depression, they convert it as a thirst for inspiration, motivation, or explanation about everything.
A matured person is very aware, extremely aware. This leads him or her to feel depress all the time. But, that’s also the reason why he or she is matured. Don’t underestimate him or her because he or she understands a lot of things.
If you’re looking for a bit of advice, they are good to approach. They are good at empathizing, they are really good at it. I promise!
Anxiety is the state of fear to act or “not knowing what to do”. It is the feeling when you just want to cry because, you just don’t really know how to face reality. It is the state of being scared to do something or some things. You are scared that you might fail, that you might commit mistake, that you might not succeed, you are just on a constant worry. Worry here, worry there, everywhere is filled with worries.
Now, what do positive people have to say about that?
When you are in the state of anxiety, you are likely to find a lot of reasons or complaints in order for you to either not do or do something. An anxious person tend to have a lot of reason that is different from everyone else’s reason. They do things not because of this, but rather because of these – something like that.
In the end, no matter what reasons they have to why they are not acting, it is just that, they are anxious.
Hihi. A positive person use anxiety to find a more intelligent or valid reason. They fill themselves with information. They judge things using a higher standard criteria. This criteria is created out of constant mental research. They already understand a lot of things. Thus, they have a higher quality understanding.
Instead of having those cliché reasons, or giving stupid reasoning – they’d rather present to you a lot of very philosophical reasons: of why they don’t act like you do if you are active and energetic; of why they are so timmid, quite, or inactive – or etc.
An intelligent person is very thirsty of knowledge, extremely thirsty of knowledge and wisdom. Thus, they always get the information and message they ask for. As a result, they always feel anxious because they always find a lot of reasons to QUESTION REALITY. They are the people who constantly ask, “Why?” Their mind is over bursting with knowledge and wisdom, and because of this, they sometimes feel scared of expressing themselves because other people might misunderstand them.
Being in the state of anxiety is simply being “unique” according to positive people.
Stress is the state of being mentally and emotionally exhausted. You just feel tired all the time. Everything you’ve started doesn’t get finished. You can suffer a lot of fluctuations. You will really want to escape this feeling.
A stressed person have a problem with listening, and understanding what the other person is talking about because their “focus” is in trouble. If depression is an emotional withdraw, on the other hand, stress is a mental withdraw. If you’re feeling stressed, you don’t want to think anymore. You don’t want to think of anything, but you still constantly think of everything – and mostly your problems. Thus, you become motionless because you don’t want to think about doing anything anymore.
Stress is like having what you don’t want to have – receiving what you don’t want to receive. When you are stressed, you’re going to think about your problems, about your sorrows, about your griefs. You just keep on thinking and thinking and thinking even if you don’t want to.
A positive person however, when faced to stress, uses it as a period of reflection. Since they cannot stop thinking, they then try to think of and understand their own story instead.
They will use stress to think about their personality, attitude, morality, mistakes, good deeds. While depression is used to understand other people, on the other hand, stress is used to understand one’s own self.
Who am I?
Who am I really?
What do I live for?
Why do I exist?
Then, they have it! The answers.
They don’t just sit their butts in and wait ‘til they get sleepy. No, that’s not what positive people do.
Rather, they sit their butts in, get some books or browse their phone, meditate, reflect, and deeply search for the answers of their questions.
Stress is a period of talking to yourself. Don’t worry, you’re not going crazy, you’re just getting matured. 😉
A positive person is happy about his or her self. He or she loves his or her self and takes care of it. Other people would envy to just why they are so happy about who they are. But these people don’t know that positive people are constantly stressed because, they always keep thinking. They are meaningful people who loves meaningful things. They always reflect, meditate, and search for the meaning of everything and the meaning of their selves.
In time, they will consider the world as a part of their self also. So, as they understand their own selves, they also start to understand the whole world.
Depression, anxiety, stress, etc. are feared and are recognized as negative state. However, if you’re going through any imbalanced psychological state like those, think positive and tell yourself, “YOU ARE NOT HAVING A MENTAL ILLNESS, YOU ARE JUST ON THE PROCESS OF MATURITY.”
Remember to always assess yourself – you need you – yourself needs you. Maturity is not something that will walk its way and enter you. It’s something you have to search for. Maturity is not something that can be shared, it can only be learned.
And like what I always say, remember that You Are Free, Limitless, Unbounded, You Have a Lot of Capabilities to Face Your Responsibilities.
Weird Spirit 