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Artist Makes Sense Of Her Depression And Anxiety By Creating Witty Comics (30 New Pics)
Pretty sure we are all aware of and know the importance of good physical health, but being mentally healthy can make all the difference when it comes to overcoming the challenges life might throw at us. One has to always remember to take care of both their body and mind, and sometimes, though the journey can be tough, it is also just as rewarding.
Of course, at times, we also choose to just cope with some problems. And what best way to do so if not through a pinch of humor? British illustrator Gemma Correll does exactly that. Through her simple comics that depict the realities of a person who struggles with both anxiety and depression, she manages to convey her emotions and feelings in a relatable way to over 928K people on Instagram.
Gemma’s work has been featured on Bored Panda quite a few times, and you can find more of her comics by clicking here and here!
More info: Instagram | gemmacorrell.com | Facebook | twitter.com
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Jenny Ginn 3 years ago
Yes point on! Me everyday. I think I've given that anxiety to my daughter. 😔
In a previous post, Gemma told us that her comics are the result of the journals and notebooks she had kept for years, "It's something I've done since childhood, making notes and drawings (it was only at college that I learned to call them comics). The short comics that I share are inspired by snippets from my everyday personal life."
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#2
Alicia GriffonLady 3 years ago
I do pretty much the same thing, but we've been married 13 and a half years. XD
#3
Nothing Fancy 3 years ago
That double standard gets formed because the world was already unkind about it...for a long time.
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Samantha Floyd 3 years ago
Why I feel like a terrible employee no matter how hard I work but make excuses for everyone else.
On her website, Correll describes herself as "A cartoonist, writer, illustrator, and all-around small person. I’ve written a few books, including - A Pug’s Guide to Etiquette (Dog N Bone 2013) The Feminist Activity Book (Seal Press 2015), and The Worrier’s Guide to Life (Andrews McMeel 2015). My illustration clients include Amazon, Hallmark, The New York Times, Oxford University Press, Knock Knock, Chronicle Books, and Bodyform."
#4
Daria Z 3 years ago
I'd take regular depression over the seasonal one because at least the weather is nicer :-)
S 3 years ago
Agreed! Only downside to regular depression during springtime (ya know, besides the downside of having depression) is allergies lol
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Lollipop Girl 🇺🇦 3 years ago
I thought I had seasonal depression... until I realized I was depressed all year long 🤪✌
#5
Ruth Gunneson-Poling 3 years ago
Especially at 2 in the morning...awesome song? awesome poem? awesome story? awesome dream? Nah, I'll remember...next morning I can't remember any of it. Smoke in a bottle my friends, smoke in a bottle.
Jef Bateman 3 years ago
One day all of the songs and comedy routines I thought up in my mind that turned to vapor because I didn't write them down will come back to me. I will be a superstar.
Donna Jenner 3 years ago
Always seems to be the case. Sometimes I forget before I even get to write it down.
Gemma actually went to art school which gave her a headstart in her artistic career, "I went to art school in Norwich (England) – I have a BA (hons) degree in Graphic Design specializing in Illustration." A lot of people assume the artist works on her art using digital means but that's not entirely correct.
#6
Samantha Floyd 3 years ago
I disagree with mental illness being Buy 1, Get 1.... more like Buy 1, GET ALL 😆😭
John Smith 3 years ago
...then you work out there's probably underlying other stuff like OCD or ADHD
#7
Cenedra Lynn 3 years ago
Every freaking day all day arguing with myself about every situation and what's right or wrong and calling myself a dumb b***h
Nothing Fancy 3 years ago
The part that scares me is that the self-loathing has been real and present for so long, and has been so complete, that it's become my truth. So, because I pursue and value honesty and realness, whenever I try to give myself loving talk, it feels hollow and upsets me...because I truly believe now that I'm trash.
Heart Saligumba 3 years ago (edited)
Sadly true at some point in most of us but think of it that the fact your still alive and there're people out there you didn't know are sacrificing just to save one of us such as people who do simple things, people who do their very best to keep themselves alive even though they think there's no reason to live or every people who makes everyday choices that makes you worth it. We don't know each other, our ownself only knows us but don't always think that you truly know yourself cause most of us only think of ourselves as what we think we deserve but that's not true cause every people who makes a good desicion for everyone, every people who sacrifice, every people who do simple nice things GIVES YOU WORTH nd more than what you think you really are. Love here for everyone from me :]♡ ...Sorry if it's long...hope you don't miss it:>
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Mark Moore 3 years ago
Ikr! My bestie wrote I know ur an idiot what am I, on the wall, she was kidding) and someone put an arrow saying b****
Gemma has quite a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to contrasting and cleaning up her images. "I scan my images into photoshop and then use the “Levels” tool to adjust the black/white until I’m happy with the result. Same if the image is in color, although that makes it a bit trickier to get the balance right. I just use the good ol’ fashioned eraser tool for any mistakes (although often, I’ll just leave the mistakes in the drawing)."
#8
*Displayname*=idk 3 years ago
Okay this is me, if a test pops up on my dash board, my awnser! Stress, but not do it! I wait till there is no time left...
Jef Bateman 3 years ago
The more work I have, the more anxious I am. The more anxious I am, the less work I can get done.
#9
Bruno Madrigal 3 years ago
You're so depressed that you get anxiety over not being able to cope...then you're depressed that you can't manage your anxiety. It's a whole thing.
Christie Nitz 3 years ago
The worst thing about all these wonderful artists work is seeing the stupid comment under it.
#10
#11
Lawrence Thatcher 3 years ago
Women's pockets were actually designed by thieves to make stealing your wallet easier
Alicia GriffonLady 3 years ago
And the trend was continued so our phones fall out every time we sit down or get in a car. :/
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Bobby 3 years ago
I feel so bad for women in the pants department. The same "size" can be vastly different brand to brand, you have no pockets, if you have longer or shorter legs than the average for your size then it can be super hard to find stuff that fits. Give women real pockets and start sizing like men's pants, inseam and waist size. Sure there can be some small differences brand to brand with that, but it is a lot more consistent
D00FINSHMERTZ 3 years ago
I've never seen a woman in jeans use her front pockets. They make them so small they might as well not be there.
Erin Martin 3 years ago
That's where I keep a tissue because that's all that fits.
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Kara Nelson 3 years ago
That sense of impending doom is a sign of the bubonic plague. I wonder if she touched any armadillos. They carry it.
Bryan Dehler 3 years ago
Just imagine how much the covid fearmongering set back millions of people who already were paranoid or had anxiety/depression... It's horrible to even think about, the toll is incalculable.
Erin Martin 3 years ago
I always count 1..2..3.. before leaving the house. They are phone, keys, wallet. Coping mechanism for my ADHD.
#12
Addison B. 3 years ago
I'm a teenager and I have overwhelming anxiety. It always comes the worst at night to the point where I'm throwing up or having a terrible wave of a sick sensation. For some reason crying myself to sleep has become a regular. I don't want to die but I don't want to live but yet I keep going.
Alicia GriffonLady 3 years ago
Don't watch the news or hang out in chat areas on the internet. It's becoming the tipping point for me. I'm hanging in there for my hubby and daughter, but i litteraly fantasize about what being dead would be like when i'm stuck with all that toxicity from what the world is like and the awful people in it. :( Find good people. It's litteraly a life saver! (In my case, i had to make a good person from scratch! She's almost 22 now. ^_^)
Load More Replies... Tanja Smith 3 years ago
Yes! Pandemic has not made this any easier. Before, I could just barely balance the illusion of being okay, you know, put on the fake smile and get to five o'clock. But with a mask, fake smiles don't reach your eyes. Depression and anxiety is overwhelming and even with medication difficult. Add isolation and, BAM! I just want to hide and not come back to the real world. Too much sadness and too much hatefulness, especially now.
Avery Cotton 3 years ago
Now flip the comic around, so she'll be getting stronger! I'm so nice:)
#13
Cenedra Lynn 3 years ago
It takes over everything in your life, it's impossible to enjoy anything
Samantha Whitley 3 years ago
Yep and as if we aren't already beating ourselves up enough we are constantly told to stop overthinking like we choose to do it 🤦♀️. At least I get told that regularly anyway. When I'm told that it makes me want to scream. I most definitely don't wake up everyday and think hm yes today I will overthink everything causing myself to stress, have anxiety and depression to the point where I completely break down. Then I'll do that everyday because it just sounds like so much fun 🙄.
Load More Replies... Heart Saligumba 3 years ago
If I'm like this I try my best to realize my reality and keep the lines "Snap back to reality" in myself from Eminem's song.
Alicia GriffonLady 3 years ago
Get angry. I don't know why, but my skills improve when i'm angry. One time in Left 4 Dead (1st one, iirc? Maybe part 2?) I spawned as a boomer zombie behind the human players. My hubby starts ragging about what idiot spawns way back there, not realizing it was me. I died as the boomer, came back as a hunter, killed him and all his friends, one of them said "whoa! When did she get good?!" And i killed them all again.
John Smith 3 years ago
It's a little adorable when a "normie" says they can relate to overthinking and then you give examples of your overthinking and they look shocked and confused
Who Panda 420 3 years ago
I felt like I was the only one to feel so claustrophobic because I was being buried in all of the obsessive thoughts I was having.
#14
Who Panda 420 3 years ago
To be fair if this magazine was real she wouldn't have a mask of any kind on
#15
Saint Lynnie 3 years ago
I only get one day off a week and it's a weekday, the only time I have to get any adulting done, such as doctor's appointments, in branch banking, etc... So even though it's the only off day, it's the only chance I have to be a productive adult. There's never any time to relax unless I somehow manage to get some sleep at a decent hour. Growing up is a trap! Not half as fun as I thought it would be when I was a child.
Tim Douglass 3 years ago
Yep. This is why I don't take days off, I don't relax and it just makes me either feel guilty for not getting work done or feel guilty for not relaxing. Much easier to just work every day.
#16
Someone With A Name 3 years ago
All of the above is how I feel every long dreaded second of every long, neverending day lol
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Oliver Nelson 3 years ago
You forgot the hollow emptiness that makes you feel like a woodwind instrument.
#17
Alicia GriffonLady 3 years ago
Takes a while to get the brain to shut up, but once you can do it, it really helps. I have to admit though, i distract mine. I picture gliding through a beautiful tropical forest with jewel tone geckos, butterflies, flamingos, dragonflies, flowers, etc... No bitting insects, just pretty ones. The weather is warm but not hot, the sand is very light beige. Not light enough to hurt your eyes, but not dark enough to absorb the sun and burn your feet. There are no people (although occasionally, when i need extra distraction, i pop in a chubby anthropomorphic unicorn in grey slacks, sunglasses, and a rainbow shirt playing a baby grand piano under a rainbow beach umbrella). Ok, so it's not really clearing the mind, but it's so calming. A teacher told us to picture a globe of energy hidden in the earth and to reach out and pull it in and out as we breath, but mine wound up rubbery and resistant, and i kind of got a "haven't you humans taken enough already?" vibe, so i brought back my island.
Gwen Christensen 3 years ago
Why is it always the bad or embarrassing stu? Didn't I ever do anything goog?????
Who Panda 420 3 years ago
This is what makes meditation impossible for people with obsessive thoughts.
Samantha Floyd 3 years ago
Why a lack of stimulation is terrifying.... oh wait there is overestimulation to worry about as well.....
#18
#19
Marilyn Myers 3 years ago
Holy crap!! That sums up the last three years of my life
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Michele Lein 3 years ago
That's me, realizing there's no hope that I will be able to stay in my cozy little den of denial, anxiety, and happy day-dreams
#20
Nadine G 3 years ago
Saaaaame. Unless it's a hike or walk in the woods, I rather not thanks lol
Samantha Floyd 3 years ago
Leaving the house is so much harder to do now.... and it was a challenge before. 🥲
Sugarplum Fairy 3 years ago
Yea, I've decided I would rather stay home then go out and have to hear happy birthday sung 15 times while trying to eat dinner
#21
1 year ago
And then there's the anti-anxiety meds for anxiety about taking anti-anxiety meds for anxiety about taking anti-anxiety meds... and then the anti-anxiety meds for anxiety about taking the anti-anxiety meds for anxiety about taking anti-anxiety meds for anxiety about taking anti-anxiety meds... and then there's the-
Samantha Floyd 3 years ago
The reason I took so long to become medicated is because of my anxiety over taking anxiety medication. This is painfully accurate.
#22
Bobby 3 years ago
That feeling you get once a decade when you actually have accomplished everything you need to for that day, no projects looming on the horizon, the weather is nice, and the stars and planets align perfectly. You feel amazing and calm until you actually sit down and have time to think, then this beautiful moment crashes and shatters into thousands of shards of lost happiness
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Tanja Smith 3 years ago
At work they always say to get rest and practice self-care. Not long after that we end up having to add something else to our workload.
#23
Tanja Smith 3 years ago
Reading articles about how to deal with anxiety and depression during the pandemic.
Heart Saligumba 3 years ago
Makes me want to unscroll yet my thumb continued to scroll...My thumb: I am not offended and idc:>
#24
Samantha Floyd 3 years ago
Why I'm in phobia intervention therapy concerning medical procedures 😅
#25
Matthew Zornig 3 years ago
I will always cringe when I see your instead of you're and vice versa, I just don't point it out.
Inanna McGraw 3 years ago
That’s who I want to be: Captain Spellcheck! Don’t they have any copy editors online??
Avery Cotton 3 years ago
Why is the flash wearing underwear on the outside, and also, is he posting it on facebook? I wanna see it! ;)
Alicia GriffonLady 3 years ago
Is there a gramer check hero? Weak to scentances mixing up the singular and plurals like "there are one", "there is two", etc? I even hear it in profesional media. I once was corrected by a professor when it was already correct! My hubby uses them wrong all the time. I'm beginning to suspect I'm wrong, but my hubby and i agree i'm correct, and gramer checks check out...
Metallicd3ath 3 years ago
Because it's relevant, I'll point out that it's grammar (at least, I've never seen "gramer" before), but more to your point, "spell check heroes" and "grammar Nazis" (as they used to be called) were basically the same thing. I'll admit English is tricky though, "there are one" can be correct if it's something like "there are one of those things" but "there is one thing left" would be where you use is. "Everyone is here" is correct but then so is "they all are here." Is/are links up to a specific word in the sentence and it's not always obvious which word it links to, or if that word uses is/are, if you're not used to it
Load More Replies... #26
ᴀʟᴇxᴏᴛʟ_ᴘʟᴀʏs_ᴄʀᴋ 3 years ago
well, you’re still alive since last year. Anyways, people loved you then why change?
#27
Delvin Gallc 3 years ago
Was inspired by the previous post to find spelling errors on the internet and then came across "opion"
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#28
Shyla Clay 3 years ago
I've been disabled and unable to work for fifteen years. I still occasionally dream that I've forgotten my work schedule. I try to call in, to have someone check for me, and I can neither find nor remember the number. I wake up having a panic attack.
Who Panda 420 3 years ago
I feel you on this. I've been disabled for a while but I used to work in a group home for the developmentally disabled and I still have panic attacks and dreams that I didn't get to work on time or that I didn't give people their medication on time. Both which never happened in real life but still are a source of panic in my dreams.
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#29
#30
TheCovatar 3 years ago
Unleashing your creativity here impacts every area of other lives. This is amazing and helpful!
Liza Gordy 3 years ago
Genius. Absolute genius. All of it. This is every OCD/anxiety/depressed person ever.
Saint Lynnie 3 years ago
I just made a previous comment about how her character looks like Waldo. Lol
Brandon Barnes 3 years ago
Well there's the problem, carrying a wicked stick always makes me feel better.
#31
#33
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What do you think ?
Mimi 3 years ago
I knew Gemma from previous posts and I adore her talent, her abilities of perceiving, thinking, self-reflecting and putting all of this into these adorable little comics. It's heartwarming, inspiring, sad, soothing, funny and dramatic at the same time. Thank you so much Gemma for these gems! For all the effort you put into this. It's seen and greatly appreciated.
Jaqi Hegland 3 years ago
You should always carry a stick. How else can you poke dubious things?
Who Panda 420 3 years ago
Great content as usual Hidrėlėy! These are relatable relatable to many people now a days. The artist is great and Hidrėlėy is great at finding amazing comics ! Keep um coming.
Brian Barnwell 3 years ago
These are spot on: honest, clear, succinct, heartwarming/heartbreaking, sad, and mostly FUNNY. You should be famous. I hope someday you will be.
Mimi 3 years ago
I knew Gemma from previous posts and I adore her talent, her abilities of perceiving, thinking, self-reflecting and putting all of this into these adorable little comics. It's heartwarming, inspiring, sad, soothing, funny and dramatic at the same time. Thank you so much Gemma for these gems! For all the effort you put into this. It's seen and greatly appreciated.
Jaqi Hegland 3 years ago
You should always carry a stick. How else can you poke dubious things?
Who Panda 420 3 years ago
Great content as usual Hidrėlėy! These are relatable relatable to many people now a days. The artist is great and Hidrėlėy is great at finding amazing comics ! Keep um coming.
Brian Barnwell 3 years ago
These are spot on: honest, clear, succinct, heartwarming/heartbreaking, sad, and mostly FUNNY. You should be famous. I hope someday you will be.
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