Artist With Depression Illustrates What She’s Learned In Therapy To Help People Deal With Their Mental Health Problems
Dealing with mental health problems is something people work on all of their lives. And author and illustrator Kate Alan has a wonderful collection of works to help others in this difficult quest. This time, we’re focusing on one particular comic she uploaded to the internet a couple of days ago.
Image credits: thelatestkate
Titled “Let’s get you mentally healthy,” it provides some valuable information that comes from the 29-year-old’s personal life. “I have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Depression,” Kate from Southern California told Bored Panda. “The comic half comes from exercises I learned in therapy and half from personal experience.”
Image credits: tlkateart
“Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy have both been helpful in managing my mental health,” Kate added. “Eating well, exercising, creating, and working to have solid relationships have helped, too.”
If you liked the comic, consider getting it as a print from Kate’s redbubble shop. And if you want to check out more of her work, fire up her profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, or Twitter.
Also, here at Bored Panda, we’ve covered other artists that tackle this difficult subject as well. Holly Chisholm has shared her take on living with depression and ADHD as well as georgedrawz who even managed to illustrate his everyday struggles with mental health in a mildly amusing way.
Immediately, a lot of people started relating to Kate’s comic
I think the hardest part is to accept. Accept a feeling and the situation. Often people try to fight a feeling, which usually has the opposite effect. It is hard to learn, not only if you are having mental health problems, but in life in general. To accept, you have to understand. Which isn't exactly easy as well, especially in a situation with anxiety. You have to focus on where it hurts, which again many people are afraid of, because to focus on the pain might cause additional pain at first. However, if you know what it is and where it is coming from, you can accept it and work on and with it. It isn’t easy and often people in a situation like this aren't exactly rational, which makes it even harder. Personally, I like the tips Kate Alan gave and I hope it will help some people. In addition, always remember - You are not alone, even if you think you are. Lean on someone and find help and comfort in others.
with practice it becomes second nature to do this and you can do it on the fly, with a screaming child and burning dinner, or a tough day at work, or feeling fat. With practice and patterned breathing it works really well. I was a very scattered person thoughts and feelings wise and this practice steps it out and puts me in control.
Sounds like it would be hard but worth it
I think the hardest part is to accept. Accept a feeling and the situation. Often people try to fight a feeling, which usually has the opposite effect. It is hard to learn, not only if you are having mental health problems, but in life in general. To accept, you have to understand. Which isn't exactly easy as well, especially in a situation with anxiety. You have to focus on where it hurts, which again many people are afraid of, because to focus on the pain might cause additional pain at first. However, if you know what it is and where it is coming from, you can accept it and work on and with it. It isn’t easy and often people in a situation like this aren't exactly rational, which makes it even harder. Personally, I like the tips Kate Alan gave and I hope it will help some people. In addition, always remember - You are not alone, even if you think you are. Lean on someone and find help and comfort in others.
with practice it becomes second nature to do this and you can do it on the fly, with a screaming child and burning dinner, or a tough day at work, or feeling fat. With practice and patterned breathing it works really well. I was a very scattered person thoughts and feelings wise and this practice steps it out and puts me in control.
Sounds like it would be hard but worth it