 So this week I've been focusing on different mental health disorders and talking about the different symptoms and things like that. But when it comes to mental illness, I have one really big pet peeve. What is up everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul where we talk about the problem, but focus on the solution and welcome back to another week where I'm talking about mental illness and different diagnoses. All right. And yesterday, I asked you to comment on my Instagram post and let me know which diagnosis you would like me to talk about what you would like to be educated about or what you think other people should be more educated about. There was a lot of great answers and I'm definitely stockpiling them. So now I know what kind of content that you want. But today's topic actually comes from one of my favorite is most loyal subscribers. So me and this subscriber, we don't always agree on things, but I do really appreciate how she is always more than willing to leave honest feedback. And she's also more than happy to share her experience with others or reach out and talk to others or let them reach out to her so she could share her experience and help some other people. So I love you girl, you're awesome. So this woman is psychedelic feline. And after reading all the comments on my Instagram post, she said this. From reading comments, I think it would be helpful to make a video to help understand actual mental illness and words that are thrown around so casually. Example, anxiety versus feeling anxious, depression versus feeling depressed. People claiming OCD when they're just a bit anal or perfectionist and bipolar versus everyday normal fluctuations in mood or weather. So yes, yes, yes, yes, I've been waiting like one of the reasons I started this channel obviously was to decrease the stigma. And I've been waiting to make this video because like these are actual mental illnesses. And there's so many people who just throw these words around all willy nilly. And the problem with this is is that it really dilutes the subject when everybody uses these terms when someone actually has this diagnosis, people like, okay, well, do they just say they have OCD? Or do they just like to keep things in a nice place? Like, you know what I mean? So I think it's important as part of decreasing the stigma and increasing awareness. We choose our words wisely and we're careful to not just throw these words around. So yes, first off, there's a difference between being depressed or being like sad or bummed out. Now I do want to make it very clear like depression can come in certain periods of your life. So say for example, you had a bunch of life circumstances, maybe a death in the family, and then you lost your job, and then you had a breakup and all these other things. This can spiral you into a depression. But it's not this kind of mental chemical imbalance. It's based on life circumstances. I've talked about that a lot in other videos. This is something that is a little bit easier to climb out of like people who have this other type of depression, where it's because their brain isn't creating the proper neurotransmitters, it's much, much different. But the point I'm trying to make here is like, don't keep using words like depressed because you're just a little bummed out that your favorite sports team lost. Or don't say that you're depressed because your favorite Hollywood couple, you know, broke up or something like that. Like, although these things may mean a lot to you, I seriously doubt that you have difficulties getting out of bed in the morning or going to work because you're just so broken up about it. Next up, maybe you're stressed or worried, but you're not anxious. You're not having anxiety. This is much different. Everybody gets worried. Everybody gets this kind of nervous feeling like before they publicly speak and things like that. Anxiety, clinical anxiety is debilitating. It is difficult to do things. It can hinder your quality of life. You might not be able to leave your house. You might not be able to go to work. You might not be able to go to social gatherings and situations. It's more than just being uncomfortable. It's completely avoiding things and you're not able to live your fullest amazing life when anxiety is just weighing you down constantly. So, like, when something's coming up and you're just like, oh, this gives me anxiety. Like, calm down with that because it's really diluting the word. Next up is probably the one that's thrown around more than anything else and that's OCD. Like, this is the one that really bothers me. A show that I used to get into a lot was called Obsessed and it's actually the original show in which Hoarders was founded upon. So some of you might watch that show Hoarders, but there was a show called Depress and I watched it. I'm like, man, OCD is rough. Like, it is. Like, if you know somebody with legit OCD, like, it is difficult. It is very difficult because it is, like, these compulsions and you will get intense anxiety if you don't do certain rituals or certain things. So just because you like to, you know, make sure that this is straight and this is straight. Your house is nice and neat. Like, these are just things. You're a clean person. Congratulations. You might be a need-freak, but this is not OCD. Like, if there is something out of place, can you not sleep at night? Okay. If you don't do a certain ritual, can you not perform other tasks? Like, people with OCD, like, I can't even imagine. Like, part of addiction is very obsessive and compulsive, but from what I've seen with people with diagnosed OCD, it is nowhere near what they go through. So it breaks my heart when I see people who are just like, I like to keep my pens on this side of my desk. I'm really OCD about it. Like, you need to knock that stuff out. So next is bipolar. Oh, I'm so bipolar. I'm bipolar. No. Okay. Listen, our moods are constantly changing. They're constantly changing. One thing that I like about meditation is it relates to kind of like what psychedelic feline said. Like, it's kind of like the weather, okay? Depending on your day, depending on your circumstances, your moods can fluctuate, okay? But, like, it's not bipolar, okay? Bipolar is another very difficult mental illness that people struggle with. And you need to really realize that. Like, people who reach these manic states and they do things that they wouldn't normally do. They have these grandiose ideas and they think that they're untouchable and invincible and things like that. They, a lot of people, like, with mania, but more so with hypomania, like, they get themselves in very dangerous situations. And then worst of all, when it comes to that, like, the crash, that depression that comes along with it, is very, very rough. For some people with bipolar disorder, this depression is worse than people who have just, you know, a major depressive disorder. So, like, no, you're just having some mood fluctuations. It's not bipolar, okay? And last, but not least, addict. Addict, addict, addict. Like, this is something like, man, like, okay, so as a YouTuber, as somebody, you know, trying to grow on Instagram and stuff, I research. I research different keywords and phrases and hashtags and stuff. And, like, when I was looking up the word addict, like, you just see so much nonsense on there. Like, oh, I'm a closed addict. I'm a coffee addict. I'm this addict. I'm that addict. I'm like, what? What? Like, I get it. I get it. And, like, trust me, I don't mean to be all snowflakey about this stuff. But mental illness, like, that's my thing. I'm like, you know, it's very difficult seeing people just tossing this word around. Like, addiction is insanity. Like, when you say, like, oh, yeah, I'm such a, I'm such a shoe addict, right? Like, have you ever not bought your child your child clothes or food so you can get shoes, right? Or, like, oh, I'm such a coffee addict. Have you ever stolen from your parents in order to get coffee? But, like, addict is something that's thrown around a ton, you know? And I get it. Like, a lot of people doing this, and this is the thing. This is why I make these videos. It's like, no, a lot of people aren't doing it in a malicious way. They don't mean any harm by it. But I have this channel to try to educate people and let you know, like, hey, this is kind of hurting the issue. Like, this is kind of hurting what we're trying to do with mental health and mental health awareness and all that kind of stuff. Because people just keep throwing these words around. The more we use it, the less these words mean. So, if you think about it, if we quit using these words so, so, so much, when you find out somebody is actually OCD or bipolar, you're like, oh, wow, you have a, you actually have that diagnosis because it's not being used every other five minutes, right? So, like, we got to look at other social topics that are in our environment right now. Like, if you are a, you know, just for example, like, a white guy, I'm actually half African American for those of you who didn't know. Like, imagine, like, a Caucasian person going up to, you know, an African American person saying, oh, yeah, man, I know the struggle. I know, I get it. Like, no, you don't. Like, you might have gone through struggles, but it's completely different. Or even better, yeah, it'd be like me as a male, like, if my girlfriend was going through, you know, her menstrual cycle or something like that, like, sorry to be, you know, talking about that. But, like, and she gets cramps. I'm like, oh, yeah, I got a cramp the other day. Like, no. Or, like, if somebody went through child labor and they were talking about how painful and hard and difficult that was in the nine months of carrying a baby, I'm like, oh, yeah, one time I, like, twisted my back, like, what? What? Like, as a person, like, you get offended by it. Or, like, think about a cancer patient who's, like, going through chemo and just constantly sick and dealing with all that stuff, worrying about life and death. And then they go through chemotherapy and you're like, oh, yeah, I used to throw up a lot when I had the flu. Like, it seems really insensitive. And that's why we got to talk about this stuff with mental illness. Like, so do me a favor. Do me a favor, like, please share this video, educate people, let people know, like, hey, you got to kind of be careful with that stuff because mental illness is a very serious, serious thing. All right. But anyways, again, thank you so much to Psychedelic Feline for suggesting this topic. I've been meaning to make this video for a really long time. All right. But if you like this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you are new here, I'm always making videos to help you out with your mental and emotional well-being. Go ahead and click that around and subscribe button. And a big thank you to everybody supporting the channel over on Patreon. And if you would like to join and support the channel on Patreon, you can click or tap right there. All right. Thanks so much for watching. Watch how you're throwing around words and I'll see you next time.