Lauren
Lauren
You can re-train your brain
My brain lied to me. My brain convinced me that I was an emotionally unstable, anxiety-ridden mess.
I thought it was just who I am, and those were the cards I was dealt. I’ve learned to stop listening to those lies.
Lauren was an anxious child. She hated transition and change. Her first few years in school were particularly traumatic and set the stage for more challenges throughout her life.
From very early on, it was a struggle to manage my emotions, especially when I was feeling anxious. At the time people really didn’t know how to help me, which only made things worse.
I knew I didn’t react to things the same as others, and I was very self-conscious of that growing up. I often felt like my relationships with others were strained.
My senior year of high school, I started to have racing thoughts, so I thought I might have ADHD, although my parents and doctors were skeptical.
What I didn’t realize at the time is that it was all related to the anxiety and depression.
“For a lot of people, their brains tell them things that are not true, but they seem to be true. These things can take over your life. But you just have to stop listening to lies. You can re-train your brain.”
In college, Lauren’s struggles persisted, and she started to investigate new therapies and treatments. This search for the right approach continued into her early 20s.
It was at that time that she was diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety, and bipolar disorder II.
Eventually, Lauren landed on a combination of medicines and therapy that work for her. Although Lauren has found a way to manage her symptoms, she knows that mental health is not a linear path and that what works today might not work tomorrow.
About 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with bipolar II because I had a bad reaction to some medication. Recently, I switched doctors, and my new doctor thinks I might have been misdiagnosed.
For me, finding the right treatment and managing symptoms was more important than having the right diagnosis, but I do think my experience highlights the importance of stopping to look at the bigger picture every so often.
I never questioned things, but perhaps I should have.
Because of my experience, I want to make sure people know they can advocate for themselves and ask questions when it comes to their mental health diagnosis and treatment.
Lauren also wants to advocate for more awareness and support around mental health. For years, she worked in the life sciences industry where she spent a lot of time raising awareness around all types of common conditions and serious rare diseases.
However, at one point, she realized that she hadn’t been talking about the very conditions she was dealing with herself.
I was always afraid to discuss what I was going through with family, friends, work, anyone except my therapist.
It’s strange that our society focuses so much on advocating for certain medical conditions, but it’s wrong to talk about mental health, something that millions of people deal with on a daily basis.
For quite a few years, Lauren’s mental health struggles were under control, but several years ago they intensified again. Eventually, she took time off to focus on her health.
She has re-emerged as an entrepreneur, running her own communications firm. Through her work, she tells stories about personal development.
She encourages her readers to confront their issues, advocate for themselves, and stop listening to the negative and destructive voices in their heads.
For a lot of people, their brains tell them things that are not true, but they seem to be true.
These things can take over your life. But you just have to stop listening to lies. You can re-train your brain.
