Disclaimer: I’m not a licensed medical professional in any way, shape or form.  I’m just sharing my opinions and experiences in hopes that it will help someone else.

Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or addiction, the question is always: What kind of treatment to I want to use? This can be a hard question for many people to answer. I know from personal experience.

When I first began dealing with my anxiety and panic attacks, I didn’t seek any form of treatment for months.  It was miserable.  To be honest, for most of that time I wasn’t even aware that I needed treatment.  I didn’t know why I was feeling the way I was feeling.  The first step for me was actually coming to terms with the fact that I was dealing with anxiety and panic disorder (both of which run in my family so therefore it only made sense).  It was hard for me to come to this realization, and scary to think about where to go from there.

I was originally so afraid to take medication.  I was so scared of how it might affect me.  Eventually I decided to take the advice of my doctor and go on antidepressants.  However I didn’t give up on the solution of therapy.  It was in therapy where I discovered the benefits of mindfulness in regards to my anxiety and panic.

I think it’s important to note that neither of these treatments worked right away.  It took time to see results from both solutions.  The medication took awhile to kick in.  And getting into mindfulness was truly a journey.

When I started doing mindfulness meditation I was very skeptical and found it very hard to concentrate.  Of course now I know that’s completely normal, but it was very discouraging.  Eventually through lots of trial and error, I was able to figure out what kinds of meditations worked for me.

For example, if you remember one of my earlier stories I mentioned how I wasn’t a huge fan of the eating meditation.  But I gave it a try and learned I wasn’t a fan.  Along the way I found countless other meditations that I did like though.

This is how you should approach any sort of treatment you may be looking into.  Be open to trying anything at least once.  But more importantly, seek the advice of a medical professional.  That could be either a medical doctor or a psychiatrist.  I suggest going to as many different specialists as you want.  It’s great to get a second (or third) opinion from someone.

However you should also remember that, when everything is said and done, how you treat any sort of ailment you are dealing with is your decision.  Don’t let anyone pressure you into doing anything you aren’t comfortable with.  Honestly that can create more problems than it’s worth.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are benefits and drawbacks to any sort of treatment.  That’s the nature of modern medicine.  It’s up to you to weigh the risks and benefits for your personal situation.  Your solution may not be the same as someone else you know and that’s perfectly okay.  There isn’t a right or wrong answer, which honestly I think is pretty great.

I hope this article has lifted the stigma when it comes to the treatment of mental illness.  And if you’re someone who is considering seeking treatment, I hope this article has inspired you to reach out to someone.  Personally, I also hope that I’ve inspired someone to at least consider trying to add mindfulness to their life and begin their journey.

Remember: Everyone starts out as a beginner.  If they can do it, then so can you.

Mindful Musings

A mental health journey through mindfulness.