About This Site

Depression/Anxiety is a Disease

In the blog, I talk about depression and anxiety together, because they often manifest themselves as a single, related medical problem. However, what I talk about in this blog would apply equally to either of these medical conditions by itself. I specifically identify depression and anxiety as “medical conditions,” because in the minds of so many — including those who suffer from these maladies — they are, more often than not, seen as character defects that we can choose to control rather than as medical conditions.

Thinking that Depression/Anxiety is one’s own fault is the first rung down the ladder to a psychologically harmful detachment from reality. Moreover, the further one slips down that ladder, the mental and spiritual negativity that poisons one’s thinking grows so strong that suicide comes to be seen as the only avenue of escape. However, when one faces the truth that Depression/Anxiety is a medical condition that cannot be cured, but that can be managed, one comes into possession of an alternative mind set that can halt, and even reverse, the downward slide toward an actual or virtual death.

Structure Can Keep Us Sane

The “Art of Managing Depression/Anxiety” blog posts are a daily reminder of the fact that it is possible to have a structure in our lives that keeps us sane. I do not always follow my own advice, but when things get bad enough, at least I have a place to return to in order to help my “self” get back on track.

This blog is meant to be interactive, because I do not have a patent on how to do this. Like so many others, I am just flailing around to get through to the next day. So please do submit comment on my posts and offer your own ideas about the subjects being discussed in them. I will formally post all constructive comments and shares about suggested actions that may help all of us out of the malaise that we share.

Navigating This Site

To make it easier to navigate this site and find blog posts that deal specifically with issues you might be having, there is a search engine and category list on the right side that will lead you to posts that talk about meditation, anti-depressive medications, mindfulness, structuring your day to deal with depression, meditation, self medication and addictive behaviors, hiding the illness, using art as a positive tool, and finally, general posts about how my Depression /Anxiety is affecting my day.