Anxiety and Depression: Is there Relief?

Anxiety and Depression: Is there Relief? I was told once that my depression was a choice. That I could simply choose to wake up happy with my life and motivated to do the simple things. Imagine sunshine and rainbows and then I would be okay. I was told my depression was because I was choosing to focus on everything wrong and choosing to wake up feeling like the world was crashing around me. It was the same with my anxiety. I was choosing to worry. I was choosing to lose the ability to breathe in the middle of a grocery store. I was actively choosing mental illness. Anyone else??  Well, I’m here to tell you that was a lie. I did not choose to suffer from depression or anxiety. However, my body was talking to me and telling me that something was off within my system. Something wasn’t working right. My progesterone was very, very low the 2 weeks prior to my period which would spike my anxiety, my chronic stress had knocked my vagus nerve offline and as a result I also had belly issues(which led to brain fog) and paradoxically my stress hormones would spike. My blood sugar was a mess and so I couldn't make neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine properly which led to depression and low motivation. AAAGH! I didn't start healing until I started my functional medicine journey with Dr. Starling and I am here to tell you that you too can heal. My mental health wasn’t a choice, but the way I chose to manage it and pay attention to it was. Ignoring mental illness...