For this blog I decided to interview two of my family members who suffer from anxiety and depression. At first I was very nervous to ask my family members to help me with this school assignment because it is very hard to word things the right way to people who suffer from these illnesses. However, my family was very accommodating and they were able to answer all of the questions that I had. I have decided not to use names or pictures, but I decided to interview my mom and my uncle. At the end of these interviews I learned a lot and gained a lot of respect for my mom and uncle.
I interviewed my mom first. She has clinical anxiety and has been overcoming it for over 20 years. When she experiences a panic attack it mostly happens earn she doesn't have control over a situation. During these attacks she breathes really heavily. Most of the time she is very good at calming herself down, however it is a lot easier for her to do this if people around her know that she suffers from anxiety. When I was very young my mom would go to therapy and she said that that helped her calm down a lot. She said, " Therapy helps me think clearer. It helps rationalize my thoughts." Even though she has anxiety she said that she would never wish it away on herself. She believes that this has made her a stronger and better person to this day. Even though there are some really hard days she also has many great days.
The next interview that I had was with my uncle. He is currently a recovering alcoholic who is also diagnosed with clinical anxiety and depression. My uncle is more recently diagnosed within the past 5 years. my uncle has localized anxiety and he stresses everyday about his family and his job. My uncle goes through a lot of therapy alone and then sometimes with his wife for a support system. He has also been through a 6 month rehab program. Last month he celebrated being sober for one year. My uncle is very strong and cares about his family more than himself. He said ,"I knew the anxiety was taking over once I thought about it more than my kids and my wife." My uncle is currently doing great with therapy and medication to help his symptoms.
I interviewed my mom first. She has clinical anxiety and has been overcoming it for over 20 years. When she experiences a panic attack it mostly happens earn she doesn't have control over a situation. During these attacks she breathes really heavily. Most of the time she is very good at calming herself down, however it is a lot easier for her to do this if people around her know that she suffers from anxiety. When I was very young my mom would go to therapy and she said that that helped her calm down a lot. She said, " Therapy helps me think clearer. It helps rationalize my thoughts." Even though she has anxiety she said that she would never wish it away on herself. She believes that this has made her a stronger and better person to this day. Even though there are some really hard days she also has many great days.
The next interview that I had was with my uncle. He is currently a recovering alcoholic who is also diagnosed with clinical anxiety and depression. My uncle is more recently diagnosed within the past 5 years. my uncle has localized anxiety and he stresses everyday about his family and his job. My uncle goes through a lot of therapy alone and then sometimes with his wife for a support system. He has also been through a 6 month rehab program. Last month he celebrated being sober for one year. My uncle is very strong and cares about his family more than himself. He said ,"I knew the anxiety was taking over once I thought about it more than my kids and my wife." My uncle is currently doing great with therapy and medication to help his symptoms.
Heidi, it was so cool to hear some of your family's story. I am really glad you chose to do this assignment so I could read about it. I thought it was very inspiring when you talked about your mom and how she described how the events only made her a stronger person. That is so awesome to me! good post!
ReplyDeleteHeidi,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your mom and uncles story. I think it is great that they are willing to share their experience with anxiety and depression with others. I believe that the more people that share about these experiences, the more people that are silent about their mental illness will open up and seek help and not feel alone. Great post!
this was such a great and touching blog. your family members are so strong and positive. it is so awesome to see them become stronger out of the difficulty in their lives!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very heartfelt blog about your family. Your mom sounds very brave for handling what she has been through and not wanting to change that about herself. I can relate to your uncle as I am a recovered alcoholic. I didn't officially have the other struggles but I can see where maybe sometimes i drank from being anxious about things. Thank you for your openness with this.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I found it very interesting how open your family was to talk about their illnesses and allowing you and the rest of us to hear their stories. It's inspiring to know that people with so similar problems are effected in different ways. I want to thank you and your family for allowing us to hear about this often overlooked problem.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I am glad that your family members were both open about talking about their illnesses. Your mother seems like such a strong woman and it's awesome that she embraces it and that she is able to see the positive in it. Your uncle is very selfless and even through his hardest struggles he still thought about his family. Both of your family members seem like great people.
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