Guest post by Tammi Miller, Founder & Certified Practising Counsellor at BARE Therapy and author of Paperback Therapy, on-shelf now.
If you feel like mental health features in every one of your social feeds these days, you’re not wrong. Mental health disorders and diagnoses are trending, and it’s enough to have you looking inwards and wondering ‘me too?!’
Experiencing butterflies in your tummy is normal before a presentation, and a glass or two of wine after a hard day at work is fine. It is true, though, that the extreme of these could be signs of symptoms related to mental health.
Anxiety, depression and addiction are the three most common mental health issues impacting Australians today (ABS, 2023) and each has symptoms that are also a part of the human experience – a feeling is not always a diagnosis. So, how can you tell whether it’s just a stressful day, or a more serious condition?
Do I have anxiety?
Life is chaotic. With blurred work environments, screen attachment and a 24/7 news cycle, it’s no wonder you’re feeling a little frazzled. Managing worry, stress and anxiety is possible, though, and depends on the type you have.
Anxiety and its terminology is quite nuanced, with ‘anxiety’ a term that’s often interchangeable with ‘stress’, an emotion that can be felt by anyone. Stress is a state of worry, triggered by a difficult situation that you may not have control over.
Feeling anxious about an exam or a first date is normal, and will often pass once the immediate threat does (i.e. when you finish the exam or date). This feeling can be – known as ‘state anxiety’, they are how you know you’re alive!
By comparison, ‘trait anxiety’ is built into someone’s personality, and is a little harder to handle. Genetically inherited, someone with this type of anxiety tends to believe something bad is always going to happen. Finally, ‘free-floating anxiety’ is a type that’s caused by physiology, such as hormonal or biological changes – think menstrual cycle or caffeine intake seemingly making those butterflies in your tummy flutter faster.
Do I have an addiction?
The line between an unhealthy habit and having what society calls addiction is blurry, sometimes depending on who you ask. Generally, your unhealthy habits – overindulging, risky behaviour like unsafe sex or drugs, doom-scrolling – exist to numb emotions you don’t want to experience. For instance, you may hit snooze over and over because you dread going to work in the morning, or you may eat unhealthily because you want to feel full instead of anxious. Until you uncover the ‘why’ of your actions and identify their triggers (your nasty boss, your fear of rejection), conquering them can be difficult.
When you have cravings to the point that it’s all you can think about, it may be a sign of addiction – the difference comes down to your will and ability to stop if you want to. If you promise yourself that ‘this one will be the last one’, but you’re not totally sure that you could cease the unhealthy behaviour, you could be experiencing addiction.
Do I have depression?
While the terms ‘grief’, ‘sadness’ and ‘depression are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Think of sadness as a symptom of grief, which itself is an appropriate response to loss. Meanwhile, depression is the result of a brain chemistry imbalance.
Every person has experienced sadness at some point in their life. It can feel all-consuming, like they’ll never past the feelings of numbness, weight, or loss. Until one day, they do. Most often, a person is sad because of something they experience and so when that experience is over, the behaviours that come with sadness – over- or under-eating, self-isolating, crying – also dissipate.
One of the main differences between depression and sadness is how long the emotional state sticks around. Depression – a diagnosable mood disorder – persists well past its welcome and can be so extreme that it impacts a person’s ability to think and act clearly, or hold onto positive relationships. While symptoms ebb and flow, they can cause you to slowly sink deeper into a poor mood when they do stick around, which is why it’s so hard to claw out of a depressive period. It is manageable, though.
Mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and addiction are diagnosable via a professional. If you see yourself in any of the above and want to better understand how to manage your symptoms, pick up a copy of Paperback Therapy: Therapist-approved tips and advice for mastering your mental health and use the ‘Seeking Professional Help’ chapter to find a therapist that’s right for you.
About Paperback Therapy
Most of us could probably be doing more to take care of our mental health, whether by learning to manage stress and sadness or just reconnecting with ourselves. But finding the time and money for professional therapy isn’t always possible. This interactive guide provides an invaluable first step. This book is not a substitute for therapy, though it will give you the tools you need to make positive changes in your life and improve your mental wellbeing.
In Paperback Therapy, certified practising counsellor Tammi Miller takes you on a journey of self-discovery and healing. You’ll learn over 25 therapist-approved tools for everything from how to boost your self-esteem and live by your values to techniques for overcoming unhealthy habits and managing anxiety. With prompts and exercises proven to benefit your mental health and wellbeing, Paperback Therapy will help you discover a happier, healthier you.
About Tammi Miller
Tammi Miller is a certified practising counsellor based in Sydney, Australia. Through her practise, BARE Therapy, Tammi enables clients to work through their blocks and cultivate better mental and emotional wellbeing. Passionate about improved health literacy and with lived experience in mental health as both a psychotherapist and a client, she manages her own mental health using the same techniques she shares with readers in Paperback Therapy.
