Is anyone totally mentally healthy?

[hellofromthelma]

I have just been prescribed a beta blocker for anxiety - still haven't decided if I'm going to take it yet. But I was looking for experiences on mumsnet and there are countless threads discussing just this one type of beta blocker going back so so many years.

I know that every time I scroll through threads on here there are so many relating to mental health.

I was just wondering, would any of you consider yourself to be 100% free of any issues or is it just a fact of life that we will all suffer (whether or not we are formally diagnosed)?

Ps. I'm interested to hear if anyone has also managed to 100% cure anxiety or if it's just something that has to be managed forever, with or without medication.

Thanks for your help! ☮️💟

It's a weird year so I think a lot more people than usual will have depression/anxiety.

DH and I are lucky we have been fine mental health wise through the pandemic but we have been a lot more run down than usual (we've both had antibiotics this year, we usually go years without having them), so I think the stress is coming out like that instead.

I think everyone has times when they are anxious or down though, I have no advice re the beta blocker as I'm the kind of person that needs to take a nap after one sudafed.

No mentally I am fucked. I'm on three meds for anxiety

No, I'm certainly not 100%.

I'm not diagnosed with anything, and I am ok generally, but I am often on the borderline of depression or hovering just above it. I have never thought of myself as an anxious person, but this year has given me a real taste of what that's like too - I hadn't really appreciated how much it can take over and how you can feel it in a really physical way.

I will be interested in seeing how people respond on here. My close friends and family are aware of my struggles, to a greater or lesser extent, but I tend to put a brave face on to the rest of the world.

I believe I'm very healthy mentally, although I don't know if anyone could ever claim to be 100%. The only issue I've ever had that impacted my life was anxiety due to peri-menopause. As soon as I started HRT the anxiety was gone completely.

I can't imagine anyone could say they were 100%, surely not actually possible?

I've just been prescribed anti depressants by the doctor after asking for help with horrendous mood swings just before my period.

I'm giving myself 3 months to try and improve it naturally. I don't know why but I'm really not keen on the idea of a pill helping me. I asked for help thinking it was probably something to do with the beginnings of the menopause or hormonal. He barely questioned me and just gave me them.

I do consider myself to be pretty mentally healthy. I'm resilient, mostly look on the brights side. However this year weve been under tremendous pressure and I do think it's manifesting itself

I think mental health is a journey, not a destination.
I have struggled over the years but have tooled myself up to prevent and deal with problems.
So right now I feel mentally healthy, but even on a daily basis I take time to steer myself into a good stable place.

I had PND 7 years ago (quickly resolved with a short course of sertraline) and resigned from a job with acute work related stress 3 years ago (resolved by quitting, plus some talking therapy). I know I'm mentally healthy now, because I remember what it felt like when I was unwell during those two episodes IYSWIM.

I suffer with anxiety but can generally manage it until a few weeks ago. Like you I didn’t want to go on medication as I felt like I was admitting defeat in some way. But honestly, the change in just 4 weeks is massive. I feel ‘normal’. I feel positive and just less down about everything. I’m hoping I’ll come off them next year in spring/summer as I do believe my lack of ability to manage my anxiety is due to the pandemic.

I get sad/angry/nervous/worried/guilty/lonely from time to time. But I see these as totally normal emotions, that will pass, and therefore part of life for someone who has good mental health.

I've luckily never felt incapacitated by my feelings or in need of professional help. A cry, chocolate, getting outside, seeing people resolves things for me. Does that count?

I don't want that to sound smug - I am VERY lucky. And it could change in a heart beat I am sure. I am just commenting to give an alternative view and this is something I am interested in for the sake of my kiddos.

@AlexaShutUp you’ve described how I was feeling. I didn’t speak to people about it though and many of my friends were genuinely shocked when I finally tipped over the edge. They were so supportive though.

I don't know - honestly, I've been feeling anxious, but that's because there are things to be anxious about - Covid, mostly. I've been feeling very down - but I'm still grieving for my father, so again, that's an appropriate response to life events. I don't think being mentally healthy means you have to be upbeat and positive all the time - it's about appropriate responses - so I guess my mental health is fine, even if I'm not brimming over with happiness.

The only issue I've ever had that impacted my life was anxiety due to peri-menopause.

That's interesting. Maybe that's what is behind my sudden spike in anxiety. I am definitely in peri-menopause.

It's a bit like asking if anyone is 100% physically healthy in some ways... Obviously no, but there's a big difference between getting the odd cold and having a permanent physical disability or debilitating condition.

I don't think anyone is 100% mentally healthy always - most people at certain points will get affected by stress to the point where it disturbs their sleep, for example. But I think there are a lot of people who won't experience clinically diagnosable depression or anxiety.

speakout, that's a good way of thinking about it.

I'm glad that you're feeling better, Daisy829.

@AlexaShutUp

I would say your increased anxiety is very likely due to peri. New anxiety or increased anxiety is one of the most common symptoms, and is very often treated inappropriately.

i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/113666670/perimenopause-lead-up-to-menopause-very-uncomfortable-and-poorly-understood

www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/health/menopause-antidepressants-symptoms-worse-hrt-shortage-a9148951.html%3famp

I really don't know. I take antidepressants daily, just to feel normal, and mostly I do, but I often find myself asking 'am I OK?'. Just checking in with myself. Usually when I'm a bit wobbly.
I think I'm on the brink of healthy most of the time but could easily fall over it. But in the next breath I think I'm so used to being this way I don't know what it's like to be truly happy and thriving.
It's a good question OP.

Thank you Aquamarine1029, that would explain a lot. I'll look at the links. I had mostly put it down to the pandemic tbh, also redundancy etc. All valid reasons to be anxious, of course, but it has been more out of control than "normal" anxiety iyswim.

@bytheby tat's a really healthy way of looking at it actually. I don't have a great baseline for what is normal - I think I probably feel a a normal range of emotions but because of my past, I'm often worried they aren't normal.

I take a very low does of citalopram for anxiety.

But my mental health is excellent. The meds fixed the issues and now I am happy, enjoy my kids, have a happier marriage, get out more, sleep better.

So being medicated doesn't mean you have poor mental health - meds should in fact do the opposite

Two years ago I was on beta blockers, anti depressants and diazepam for my anxiety. It was horrific.

Now I feel 100% better in myself and so much stronger mentally. I left a job that was really affecting my mental health and then later ended my marriage so it could be that I identified the triggers? I don’t know, but I just wanted to give you a bit of hope.

I’m not, I could make a fortune selling my millions of different mental health drugs on the streets. I hate it so much.

But l have a friend who has been through really horrible times. And she always bobs up. I always tell her how jealous l am of her.

I’m actually surprised I’m not depressed or have an anxiety disorder atm as I have a lot of stress.

But I have a history of both.

I think I’m mentally healthier now because I dont have young dcs, have secure housing, enough £ not to worry about basics, take all my vitamins, eat healthily, exercise most days, get in nature a lot, keep in regular contact with friends and family and have a supportive DP.

I think with a good foundation storms are easier to weather.

Although I’ll admit that I’ve had MH issues when things probably seem rosy too.

Weirdly, having MH problems and learning to cope with them has given me a number of tools that have enabled me to cope with the Covid crisis pretty well. So there are advantages!

The more you get to know people the more you realise how common MH issues are. I do know a couple of people however, who would swear blind there was nothing wrong with them, MH issues don't exist, people should just pull themselves together etc. And oh my God, their general fucked up behaviour points to some clear and severe MH issues, they're just not self-aware enough to know/admit it.

I have a pretty stressful job , Critical Care NHS , but I don’t take any pills or feel particularly worried or tired and I’m up and ready for my shift without any anxiety so yes, I’d say I was mentally fit.