You’ll Be Okay, My Friend

You are always worth way more than you think you are. You’ll be okay, my friend. Don’t let the negative script of mental illness defeat you.

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So, how are you feeling today? Are you good? Or do you feel like you have nothing left to give? Either way, its ok. Really, whether your energy is high or you have barely enough to lift your head, you are you.

However, when Depression Speaks or anxiety, or any mental health condition, it often lies. Take anxiety, for instance. Many people feel as though they are going to die – a deep-down “calling,” almost, that they just “know it to be true.”

Yet, despite this, they go years and years living. Why? Because anxiety lies. Well, sort of. Since our anxiety comes from our fight-fright-or-freeze response in our brains, we are primed to be on high alert, prompting us to feel like we are under threat. So, it makes sense to me that many people feel as though they are going to pass away when they are anxious.

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The good news? When the feeling of dread starts to take centre-stage in my head, I think, “Oh, hello there, anxiety disorder.” I use it as a mental-illness episode detector. This has proven to be an effective tool because I can then deploy my coping tools. Like mindfulness, exercise and rest. What tips me off? While I know I can die, most times death is unpredictable, so when I feel certain I will pass, I know my thoughts are essentially flawed.

So, in short, you’ll be okay, my friend. Just remember: when our symptoms are high, so too are our negative thoughts. It’s good to learn those key one-liners that can trap us into remaining idle, into thinking that we’re not worthy of love, and that we are a burden. None of these are the case, but when In those moments, we swear they are true… They are not!

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You are always worth way more than you think you are. You’ll be okay, my friend.

Jonathan Arenburg – The Road To Mental Wellness

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Jonathan Arenburg.

Jonathan Arenburg is a mental-health blogger, writer, and published author, appearing in the i’Mpossible’s Projects Lemonade Stand III. He has also been a contributing writer for Mental Health Talk, a column in his local paper. In addition, he has written for the mental-health advocacy organization Sick Not Weak.

Jonathan has also appeared on several mental health-related podcasts including: A New Dawn, The Depression Files, Books and Authors, and Men Are Nuts. Since being put off work because of PTSD, Jonathan has dedicated his time to his mental-wellness journey while helping others along the way.

Educated as an addictions counsellor, he has dedicated most of his professional life of eighteen years to working with those who have intellectual disabilities, behavioural challenges, and mental illness.

He has also spent fifteen years in the volunteer fire service helping his community.

His book “The Road To Mental Wellness” goes into detail about his life-long battle with depression, anxiety and more recently, PTSD. In it, he hopes to provide insight on how mental illness cultivates over a lifetime and, if not recognized and treated, how it impacts the entirety of one’s life, right from childhood into the adult years. Jonathan lives with his two children in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Check out his portfolio here