S3 QOAR Episode 4 Living with Cerebral Palsy, Depression & Anxiety

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In this episode I sit down with Victoria to discuss how she copes with living with Cerebral Palsy, Depression & Anxiety you don't want to miss it! So Come Roll with Us!

Transcript

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Hey, everyone on and welcome back to Queens On A Roll podcast!

This is Latavia here, and I have one of my

great listeners and friends, Victoria, here with me today.

How are you, Victoria? I'm great.

It's great to be here.

Awww Thank you so much!

So I brought you on today because you wanted

to talk about anxiety and depression, and I think

that's so great, and I think people should get

a nice insight to what that's all about.

So thank you again, and let's get into it.

Let's roll!

(Instrumental Music)

So before we get into what it's like living with

anxiety and depression for you, Victoria, I would just like

my listeners to know what anxiety and depression is.

So anxiety and depression, according to WebMD, are

types of mood disorders, among other things.

Depression causes feelings of sadness,

hopelessness, and reduced energy.

Anxiety creates feelings of

nervousness, worry, or dread.

Although the two conditions are different, you

can have both at the same time.

Agitation and restlessness can be symptoms

of both anxiety and depression.

So, Victoria, can you tell me what

it's like living with anxiety and depression?

Well, mixed with CP its kinda like, not the greatest thing,

but I try to do my best and live with it.

The first time I noticed it, I

was about 15 at the time.

Wow, that is really young.

Can you tell us what it is like

for you to have anxiety and depression?

Because it is important to note that the signs

and symptoms can vary from person to person.

So can you tell us how it feels for

you and what it is like for you?

Feels like sometimes when I'm like really down in it

and you know really in my feelings, it's like really rough, and

I don't wanna like connect with anyone.

And sometimes I get like you know a feeling in my

chest where it's like hard to breathe and stuff. And you know so

It's really rough at times.

But I do see someone regularly, and I'm

tryna  like figure out ways in the new

year to be both mentally and physically strong.

So that's a definite great, great goal, and

I applaud you for seeking help.

And like you said, having CP makes it

way more difficult, because Cerebral Palsy can cause

us to have those feelings too, right? Yeah.

It can be a secondary condition as well, so I understand,

but I don't want people to equate having depression and anxiety

to having a regular down day because of a disability or

just having a regular down day in general.

Because people do have down days, right?

Yeah, definitely.

So can you please describe to people

how having anxiety and depression is different

from having a regular down day?

It's like you don't wanna  associate with the world.

You don't wanna do like your regular routine.

You just don't wanna do anything.

And sometimes you don't even wanna just

do the normal stuff that you enjoy. Right.

So it's more of like, you just don't

wanna be a part of life.

You kinda just isolate yourself from everyone.

Exactly.

(Delayed Beat Sound Effect)

So, Victoria, you talked about feeling

a heaviness in your chest.

So does your anxiety attacks mostly happen

in social situations, or when does it

occur, or what does it originate from?

What has caused them?

So it's not really social anxiety.

I would say that anxiety I'm pretty much gotten

rid of over the years, so it's kind of

mixed with, like, a PTSD situation, I have. Wow! Wow!

And again, I applaud you for seeking help,

because I can only imagine that living with

depression and anxiety is not easy, but you

are out here killing it, doing your thing.

So for that, I commend you, and

I think you're doing an awesome job.

(Cheering Sound Effect)

And on that note, folks, it's fun fact time.

(It's Fun Fact Time Sound Effect)

And today's fun fact is about

PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder.

According to psychiatric.org PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people

who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series

of events, or set of circumstances.

People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and

feelings related to their experience that last long

after the traumatic event has ended.

They may relive the event

through flashbacks or nightmares.

They may feel sadness, fear, or anger, and they

may feel detached or estranged from other people.

It has been said that PTSD is only related

to combat veterans, but in actuality, PTSD affects people

of any ethnicity, nationality, or culture, and at any

age, it actually affects approximately 3.5% of adults in

the United States every year.

(Instrumental Music)

How did anxiety and depression

impact you in high school?

Like, during high school and stuff, it was, like,

really hard because I would get, like, anxious over like

an assignment or something and like the pressure to like try to

be a good student and all that, but like since

being outta school, it's like easier to manage.

But still like, you have your days.

And like I mainly wanted to do this

because of seeing what happened to Twitch

and how that whole situation came about.

And I really want people to

just remember, just seek help.

Don't let it get you to like your bottom point. Right.

You're definitely right.

Tell someone so that they can go and seek you some

help, because I know a few of my friends struggle with

this as well, and when you're deep down in that depression,

you don't even wanna sometimes seek help.

So I encourage friends of people who may

have anxiety and depression to check on them.

If that phone is on, do not disturb.

Go knock at their house if you

can and be like, hey, you're good.

That's super, super important. Exactly.

It's great to always be there and check in,

even on the friends that appear so strong and

appear like they don't need any help or need

someone to talk to check in with them.

Like, you never know.

Sometimes people who are strong people carry

a lot, and they carry a lot

internally, and they don't speak about it. Right?

No, they don't.

But they're struggling.

So just do those regular check ins on

those friends you care about, and all your

loved ones, just check in on them.

What was it like going through

college with the anxiety and depression?

It was really bad because it really affected me in a

way that like I didn't complete it as well as I should.

And because I have to use like you know the paratransit out here

to even get there, that adds to your anxiety, too. Like

You're not sure like if there's an accident

on the road or something?

Or somethings going on. Right.

So, like, certain situations can heighten the anxiety.

And for you, your anxiety heightened when you felt like

you wanted to perform your best but couldn't because you

had all of these roadblocks in the way.

Yeah, so I can definitely understand that.

How has your family helped you

cope with your depression and anxiety?

They're really supportive about it, and they were

the ones that told me to like seek help

and still seek help to this day.

So  you know just try to you know learn techniques to be

a better person and stuff like that. So yea.

So it's great when you have a

strong support system around you. Definitely.

So what are some things that you do to cope?

Mainly what I learned over the years is just stay just

mentally in it and just stay busy like I would

If I feel it coming on, just to like breathe and stuff.

And then like if I wake up and I

feel that way, alexa is my best friend.

So like I turn it on and like I listen to a

book or something or music or just like anything.

Or just talking to friends is really helpful too.

Those are all great coping mechanisms.

And please, I just wanted to put this out there.

There is nothing wrong with taking medication for your

mental health that is totally fine as well to

help treat it and help cope with it.

So please, if you do need that, please continue

to seek help and go get the prescribed medication.

There is nothing wrong with taking medication as well.

Personally, I never took medication, but I

heard great things from it, and I'm

kind of like an advocate for it.

So like if that person needs it, like no doubt, just take it.

Do what you need to do. Yeah.

Whatever it takes to be the best you just do it.

We want you to be the best

you that you can possibly be.

So Victoria, what is one thing that you

wish was not associated with anxiety or depression

or mental health disorders in general?

I really wish that there wasn't such a

stigma around mental health that there is.

Yeah, there's such a huge stigma

and it really shouldn't be. Right.

People think that if I seek mental health help, then

I'm a weak person and you're not a weak person.

You're not.

It actually makes you a strong person because you

recognize that you need help and you're going to

seek the help so that you could be the

best person that you could be.

We have to learn to

take care of ourselves, holistically.

And by holistically, I mean mind, body and spirit.

If our mind is not functioning properly, then

the rest of us won't function properly.

So please, I implore anybody who's struggling

with mental health to seek help.

There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Please take care of all of you.

Not just the physical parts, but all of you.

And like I said, I know having

Cerebral Palsy and then having anxiety and

depression, it is definitely not easy, right?

No, it's not.

I'm pretty sure it could be overwhelming at times.

But you made it through. Yeah.

And that's what this show is all about, right?

Even though we have challenges, we made it through.

So talk about how you made it through.

Did you get that college degree?

Yeah, I did a little bit. Yeah.

What was that like?

Finally walking across that stage and finally getting that degree

that was just really amazing and just that I did

it and you know that I finally achieve that goal?

That's awesome.

(Cartoon Stair Climbing Sound Effect)

So what are you doing now?

What are you currently doing?

I've been doing it since I was

little, but Imma keep doing it.

Shout out to my anchor family and stuff.

It's a recreational program that we have out here

that they do different programs throughout the year and

then we do a six week summer program so

its really like just to be social and out with

people that are like similar to us and all that.

So I do that and then

starting physical and occupational therapy and all that

 you're gonna have to give

me the number for the physical therapist and

the occupational therapist I still can't find one.

I definitely will, and I think

all of that is wonderful.

(Cartoon Trill Sound Effect)

So what are your future endeavors and future plans?

Cause of my anxiety and depression, like I used to

do a lot of writing and I don't anymore.

And I wanna just get back to that and just be just

the best person I could be as a 30 year old woman.

And like I hopefully wanna like get my own apartment

and like get a more fulfilling job and just to like

continue being me, but like in my own space. You know.

So you're trying to find your own lane, huh

Yeah, I would say I think you

found it advocating for mental health.

Look at that.

(Instrumental Music)

So before we close the show out with a

quote of the episode, I have a few things

I would like to share with all of you.

This is the last few days

of Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.

So in honor of that, please continue to wear green to

show your support to someone you may know that has CP.

And if you tag the show Queens on A roll,

on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, I will post them.

Secondly, it is the last few

days of Woman History Month.

So to honor that, I'm going to highlight a phenomenal

woman in this episode and read an excerpt from one

of my favorite poems, Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou.

So first up is Ruby Bridges.

According to National Woman History Museum,

Ruby Nell Bridges was born on

September 8, 1954 in Tylertown, Mississippi.

But at the age of four, her

family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana.

And it was there in 1960, when she was just

six years old, that her parents responded to a request

from the National Association for the Advancement of Color People,

or the NAACP, and volunteered her to participate in the

integration of the New Orleans school system.

She was the first African American child to

desegregate the all white William Frantz Elementary School

in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegregation

crisis on November 14, 1960, there was a

children's book published about her experience in September

of 2010 called The Story of Ruby Bridges

by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford.

And fun fact, I actually have that

book, and it is autographed by Ms.

Ruby Bridges herself, currently now

in her adult life, Ms.

Bridges is a civil rights activist and a published

author, as she has written books such as Through

My Eyes and I am Ruby Bridges.

She is truly a phenomenal woman.

And now, without further ado, I will read

an excerpt from Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelo.

Pretty Woman.

Wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model size.

But when I start to tell

them, they think I'm telling lies.

I say it's in the reach of my arms, the span of

my hips, the stride of my step, the curl of my lips.

I'm a woman.

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman. That's me!

(Cheering Sound Effect)

And now it is time for the quote of the episode.

What is one quote that you live by?

I live by a quote by the great Eleanor Roosevelt its do

what you feel in your heart to be right for you'll.

Be criticized  anyway.

So basically, just do what feels right in your heart

and forget the ones that criticize you for it.

And I think that is so great to live by, right?

That just means do what you love

and don't worry about the rest.

So I definitely love that quote and

thank you for sharing that with everyone.

Victoria, thank you so much for coming on!

I definitely appreciate it!

And this was a great way to raise awareness about

CP, depression and anxiety and just mental health overall.

So I thank you so much for

sharing and having the courage to share.

Thank you for having me on!

You are so welcome.

Thank you again for coming on.

And again, if you know someone who is

struggling with mental health or you yourself is

struggling with mental health, please reach out and

seek the help that you need.

Please do not be ashamed, it is okay.

You can also go to 988

on the phone and that will directly connect

you to the National Suicide Prevention life line.

Or you could call 1800-273-Talk.

Again, the number is 1800-273 Talk or 1800-273-8255 and

I encourage you guys again to use it if need be.

Reach out to family, friends, loved ones and

please family, friends and loved ones, be there.

If that person says they are

struggling, seek help for them.

Guys, thank you so much for listening!

I love you guys so, so much!

I have a Patreon account if you would like to donate.

There's four tiers up there for you to choose from.

Just go to Patreon.com, type in Queens On

A Roll and you'll see me right there.

If you have any questions for me or Victoria or

any of my guests you have heard on this podcast

so far, you can email me at queensonaroll.podcast@gmail.com.

Again, my email is queensonaroll.podcast@gmail.com.

And again, thank you so much Victoria!

And we are rolling out!

Bye guys, see you next week!.

(Instrumental Music)

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