Pitfalls and self-defeating patterns to avoid

Chandrayan Gupta

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Invisible Illness

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18 min read

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Aug 14

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Introduction: A Decade of Trial and Error

Ten years ago my life changed forever when I was diagnosed with clinical depression and again twelve months later when I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder. Before 2014 I possessed no concept of mental illness. I had scarcely entered adolescence and already my future appeared bleak and hopeless.

A decade later I feel better than ever. I am a published author of four well-received novels and will soon obtain a degree in law. By no means do I consider myself a success story. But compared to the trajectory to which I believed my life was doomed, my present condition, both mentally and academically, is miraculous.

The internet is flooded with advice for battling depression and anxiety. I myself have penned several. However most of the recommendations center around what to do, positive advice to implement. This article adopts a different approach and outlines what not to do, behaviors and thought patterns to avoid.

Although I am in a good place now, the road has been fraught with struggle and setbacks. I had no depression guidebook and possessed little understanding of my condition. For years I stumbled in the dark, stuck in a loop of the very actions and thought patterns this article warns against. My fervent hope is my readers will not repeat my many, many mistakes.

1. Remain in Bed/Home All Day

I recently suffered a relapse and the parallels between my behavior then and ten years ago were frightening, as though the wealth of lessons learned over the past decade had been instantly forgotten. This time around I noticed a new symptom: I remained in bed the whole day; leaving my room made me anxious.

I felt sapped of energy, capable only of lying down. But when I was once forced during my relapse to walk almost two kilometers I managed fine. I did not collapse or faint. The lack of energy was illusory; when compelled, we can accomplish the impossible. The question then is why we should compel ourselves out of bed and into the world.