[KDCat]

Originally Posted by Jen

I would tell myself to do everything possible to head off the anxiety and depression that's destroyed most of my adult life.

In high school I think I was at that teetering point of being able to conquer it in early stages, and I would tell myself to get involved more, not worry about other people and what they think of me so much, and that there was nothing wrong with how I looked. I'd encourage my younger self to do more activities I liked so I could meet more people, connect more and not be so afraid of being judged.

I'd also tell my younger self to get help sooner when the symptoms did start. I look back at her and think as crappy as I thought things were in high school, they were actually pretty good and I should have enjoyed it more, and connected to it all more.

I'd tell her to take the chance to go straight to university instead of community college first, that doing the scary things would have helped her so much then, because a time was coming when leaving the house would become a scary thing. I'd tell her to enjoy the moments she wasn't suffering and recognize them. I'd tell her to be kind to herself, to stop beating herself up and that she deserved good things no matter what the ugly voice in there said. I'd tell her to do her best to live and fight the monster and save her adult self. It kills me so much that I can't go back and warn her.

+1

I wish I had gotten an SSRI much, much sooner. It's been very helpful for me.