'So You’re Depressed and Anxious?' Guest Post By Lety Castillo

There are times in our life when we feel low, depressed and over-anxious not finding the perfect and much-needed balance in our lives. As women, we have to take care of everyone and everything around us. So, it’s quite normal to be depressed and anxious at times. Here’s a guest post by Lety Castillo on how to overcome depression and anxiety. Lety is the owner of West Canada Co., the online women’s apparel boutique focused on empowering women through confidence. Lety has a background in music and psychology. When she is not operating West Canada Co., Lety is working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum to achieve communication, social, and motor goals through music therapy.

Have you ever been asked to think of a yellow car? And when you drive to and from work, or to drop off your kids at school, you see more yellow cars than you’ve ever seen in your life?

This is how I feel about depression and anxiety. Growing up, I’ve always been a shy and introverted girl. I would never speak up at school, even if I knew the answer to a question. The fear? I had no idea.

With no end in mind, this undefinable fear showed up through my school years. Elementary school went by without too many anxieties. But middle school? And high school??

Social pressures that started in middle school included being a thing, looking pretty, wearing make-up, having friends, having a boyfriend, THANK GOD social media wasn’t a necessity when I was growing up in the early 2000s!

But social media was a part of college and now my early adult years. This is what I’ve found out; the feelings of anxiety were more present than ever. And how did I feel about this? Guilty. Which led to, YUP you guessed it: Depression.

It’s a terrible cycle to be in. One day you are at work, maybe browsing Instagram when you notice a group of ladies you’ve had drinks with is hanging out at the local brewery. “Oh no” you tell yourself. “They didn’t invite me. They hate me. I have no friends.”

Suddenly, what was supposed to be a productive work evening has turned into a recollection of why you are unlovable and no one wants to be your friend. You look back on this and feel guilty about the wasted time. The cycle beings.

Remember the yellow car story? With anxiety and depression in my mind, I began to notice more women speaking up and sharing their story. How they overcame or were working on, their insecurities leading to these thinking patterns.

It’s not to say that misery loves company. It’s an inspiration to hear people speak up and share their vulnerabilities with the world. We all want to appear put together to those outside our life, so when somebody decides to open up and firmly declare to the world; I AM NOT PERFECT, change happens.

People become inspired, movements and reformations occur (i.e. Me Too). It takes one person to take her chances at what the world will say for change to occur.

I notice people open up about their own struggles with anxiety and depression. This has inspired me to first and foremost, come to terms with it myself. I feel the courage, from seeing those before me, to share my story about the obstacles and what has helped me keep my head above the rough, jittery, made-up scenario, waters.

My online boutique, West Canada Co. became a way to help others and pass on my knowledge and experiences. By promoting women’s empowerment with clothing, I wanted to let women know that they were worthy of looking good and, more importantly, feeling good about themselves.

Owning a clothing boutique has opened up a new set of obstacles dealing with my thinking patterns but the courage still resides in my persistence and humility. If there is anything I’d like to contribute to those struggling with similar thoughts is this: keep going! Realize that what you’re thinking about is not rooted in truth, but in your interpretation of an event.

I try to be a support system for those who need it and I offer free information and tips to my newsletter subscribers. My goal is to act like the person I wish I had growing up. Because by thinking of my yellow car, (my anxiety and depression) I found courageous people who helped me, and now it’s my turn to do the same for others.