Ep 4 - Kathy on Dealing with Darkness

Kathy is just like you and me. Someone you might see in the line at the grocery store or meet in your networking group. She is married and has two kids and a runs a successful business. That's the stuff we all know about each other. The things that we share with people. What we let people see of us. Then there are the things that we don't share. Kathy decided that she wanted to get brave and share her story about dealing with depression and anxiety. She has dealt with both of those things her whole life. 

Now, for Kathy, it's mostly better. She has bad days, but she has a system for dealing with them. But she never wanted to tell anyone. Fear of being judged and feeling ashamed held her back. And can you blame her? As someone who has dealt with both depression and anxiety myself, I totally didn't want anyone to know that these were part of my life. I too didn't want anyone to think that I couldn't run my business. My friends tease me that I tend to overachieve on the business side of my life. My worry always that I need to prove I am ok and I can handle everything. Even if no one knows that but me. 

What I have found through listening to others stories is, myself. In every story that someone shares with me on the podcast I have found something I can relate to. Some emotion that I too have felt. This story of dealing with anxiety and depression was especially close to me since I suffered from the same issues most of my life. I understand what it's like to say "When is this ever going to end?"

The good news is that it can and does get better for many of us. Also, you are not alone. I don't need to give you statistics, but there is a huge population of the country (and world) that are trying daily to cope with depression or anxiety or both. We now have more resources than ever to help us. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Not does it mean that people are accessing those options. This is one woman's story about growing up with and having these issues play out in her life. And what her life is like now. 

None of us are alone. We just have to learn it. 

-Jen

Here is her story: