the-go-between:

Cross off what you’ve done: 
Gotten a new piercing.
Dyed my hair.
Ended a relationship.
Started a new relationship.
Been on a long car/bus journey.
Passed an exam.
Met someone who’s now an important part of my life.
Cried on someone’s shoulder.
Had a massive fight with a boy/girl .
Received flowers.
Had a Valentine.
Written a letter using pen & paper.
Gone to see a therapist.
Been prescribed medication by a doctor.
Read a really good book.
Gone to the zoo.
Spent too much money on unnecessary things.
Travelled by train.
Cried over a member of the opposite sex.
Spent the day out in the sun getting a tan 
Slammed a door out of frustration.
Had an anxiety attack.
Babysat for a friend’s child.
Had a BBQ
Gone to the fair.
Gone bowling.
Seen a film at the cinema in 3D.
Gone on a date. 
Been the only sober one on a night out.
Helped someone home after they had been drinking.
Stayed up all night.
Talked on the phone for over two hours.
Supported someone who’d received bad news.
Watched some kind of live sporting event.
Read an entire book in one day.
Bought a DVD the day it was released.
Eaten McDonald’s more than four times in a single week.
Cried as a result of exam stress.
Met some incredible new people.
Gone to great parties.
Fallen backwards off a chair.
Broken my glasses.
Worn a watch for the first time in years.
Cried over someone in my past.
Spent hours aimlessly browsing the internet.
Thrown up.
Cried over a film.
Gone out of my way to avoid an ex-boy/girlfriend.
Fought with someone in public.
Been in a relationship for a year or longer. 
Cried in front of someone I adore.
Lost one of my closest friends.

(Source: i-have-derived, via doublethinkinghopefulpessimist)

marenkae:

printed-in-gold:

Your responses indicate a desire to escape from your troubles, and a fear that this action will destroy what you’ve already achieved.

These conflicting emotions sometimes cause you to be abnormally irritable and impatient when your needs are not met. Your concentration is also impacted, often leaving you feeling groggy or agitated.

The ensuing anxiety usually leaves you feeling vulnerable. As a result, you become less affectionate with people you care about. You occasionally become caustic and even needlessly cruel.

This stems from your own insecurity and fear of failure. Leveraging your ability to remain strong in the face of adversity — an ability you’ve proved to possess in the past — is the key to your emotional satisfaction.

You have a strong opinion of your own abilities, which is deserved. You are sharp and intellectually discerning when the need arises. In times of great stress, you have the will power to make difficult decisions.

WHAT THE HELL!? This is too accurate. ESPECIALLY those last two paragraphs. 

Listen to this while you take it

Wow, okay I just did it and we got the exact same results. 

You are a troubled individual, with unique abilities.

Unlike most people, you have a strong — at times destructive — independent streak. Routine tasks are frustrating and often impossible to complete, unless you’ve created them for yourself.

At the moment, you are under substantial stress and anxiety. This is caused by the unshakable feeling that you’re not fully in control of your own life.

An existing relationship in your life, either romantic or business-related, is currently unsatisfactory. You’re presently contemplating the possibility of escape. This can make you irritable or uncomfortable at times, even around the people you love.

However, when you are in control, you’re capable and even excited to make difficult decisions. This occasionally leaves you feeling isolated or alone. You are willing to make this trade-off, if it means being in charge of your own life.

The darker emotions inside you — those underlying urges that all humans have — are very strong. And yet, you have the ability to harness that energy to achieve your goals. This makes you unique among our testing population. You can focus your energy, both positive and negative.

(Source: katarras)

My sister gave me a haircut, I was just reflecting on it

tazi16:

So for the 4th time Ive been told that Im depressed.

I dont think I am. BUT I’ve been known to undermine my own problems.

That picture is me being silly. This is me on a daily basis at school. This is why I don’t think I’m depressed. I mean people who are depressed…you can see it, ya know?

Yeah sure theres surface emotions but they dont always hold up. You can always catch the sadness in some ones eye. Plus most commonly associated with depression are self harm(thoughts and actions) I dont do those. I dont understand how Im depressed but at the same time I do.

First thing: Depression is not always a visible disorder. But it is a very real condition.

Depressed people may have a more difficult time functioning, but some can still get through the day without seeming out of the ordinary. If the person has had chronic depression for a while, you may just know that as their personality. The things you listed correlate pretty well with the common symptoms of depression, which can be on both ends of the spectrum:

• Increased/lowered appetite
• Insomnia/excessive daytime sleepiness
• Weight gain/weight loss
• Loss of interest in things that used to be enjoyable
• Hopelessness
• Feeling sad/down most of the time
• Trouble concentrating
• Low self-esteem
• Fatigue/lack of energy
• Feeling guilty

If these have been pretty regular for 2+ years, it’s likely that you’d have dysthymic disorder. That’s a more mild form of major depressive disorder, but it’s chronic, still serious, and often times much harder to treat.

I’m less knowledgeable about major depression simply because I don’t have it, but it’s usually easier to diagnose and fortunately most people respond to treatment. This disorder is more episodic, meaning that you may go weeks or months feeling simply awful (crying spells, irritability/outbursts of anger, more physical problems like headaches or stomachaches, suicidal thoughts) and then have another period of milder symptoms.

For me, I was diagnosed with dysthymia at age 10 or 11, because I would have unexplained outbursts of crying or screaming and would say “I’m sad and I don’t know why.” It didn’t help that I was a perfectionist, so I would feel guilty for doing things wrong and get mad at myself very easily. I just wasn’t as happy as other children. I would sometimes think about dying, but fortunately for me I never had any self-harming behaviors and I never acted on these thoughts.

To make a long story short (too late), I am no expert in psychology but I hope this helps. Mood disorders are very misunderstood, so they can be difficult to identify. It’s important to realize that people saying “wow you’re depressed” or “why are you so down all the time?” or anything of the sort does NOT determine whether or not you have a mental disorder. It’s almost impossible to know what’s going on inside another’s head unless you ask them. I’ve certainly felt that my depression is just part of who I am, and I’ve even come to laugh at myself about it around my close friends, but it certainly doesn’t define me. The bottom line is that if getting help (counseling, medication, cognitive therapy, just talking to someone you trust) increases your quality of life, it is worth trying. I am here if you want to talk or anything else!