Learning to Live with Clinical Depression | Angelica Galluzzo | TEDxWesternU

Angelica shares how living with depression has impacted her life. Angelica Galluzzo is a mental health advocate, largely motivated by her own struggles with mental illness. After battling depression and suicidal ideation for many years, she became passionate about making an impact, using her voice to create positive change, and normalizing the struggles that many of us go through.

In 2021, she started her own podcast, called The Revolutionized Mind, with the goals of providing a safe space for people to share their stories, raising awareness about various mental illnesses, and learning how to embrace true authenticity.

[thatdevika]

I really feel the voice trembling as she speaks. I feel it in my throat as well. It's not easy to speak about this subject without crying or bring vulnerable. Kudos to her!

[justmadeit]

Severe depression is genuinely terrifying because your mind turns against you and you are thinking of ways to not exist and that is dark and scary to experience. Truly the worst thing to experience that dread and not know where it will take you, it’s the fear

[yolielin]

She is so honest and brave. I cried listening to her. I'm going through exactly the same thing. I thank her for her messages.

[PleaseVoteBlue]

I’ve been struggling with depression for 10 years. It comes and goes sometimes and can come on out of nowhere with no warning and for no particular reason. A few months ago, I came off of medication and seeing a therapist. I did very well for several months on my own and I started to think maybe I could deal with it on my own. Then, about two weeks ago, my depression flared up out of nowhere and caught me by surprise. I now have an appointment with a Dr and may need to be on medication again. Realizing I needed to get help again felt like a punch in the gut. I felt like a failure. I struggle with depression because I just want to be normal. I don’t want to deal with it and I hate that it affects those around me, especially my husband. Listening to this felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. Gave me hope when everything seems bleak❤

[TimKleiner]

Psychedelics have the potential to make a significant impact on mental health issues like anxiety and depression. They've been incredibly helpful for me personally.

[emmajorro]

Acceptance is key; surrounding yourself with people who understand that you're not mad or bad but you are who you are. Keep on fighting; it always gets better.

[marymontgomery-gomez]

This is the most honest and relatable video on depression I have ever watched. Thank you so much Angelica for sharing your story and providing hope that it is possible to get out of this rut or at least adapt to it. Your journey gave me so much strength to keep pushing forward.

[foxxy_and_the_arts]

This meant so much to me to hear you speak of your symptoms and your strength. I have recently been diagnosed with clinical depression and I’m still working through the reality of it/accepting it and some of things you’ve said that you’ve thought are the same thoughts I’ve had. Thank you for speaking on this!

[emmabeyza]

I have struggled with mental illness and my mental health since I was a kid. Before I even knew what those terms were. After years of depression, anxiety, and even an attempt to take my life, I never thought I would be able to live without psych medications. I clung to them because it was the only thing that made my mind quiet, but it also made me a zombie. Microdosing has given me control of my mental health for the first time, and they essentially gave me my life back.

[squeezeecheese]

The worst part is that it's so stigmatized and no one understands that it's not just being sad. It takes hundreds of thousands of lives a year but you're told you're being lazy and dramatic. The constant/recurring feelings of doom, hopelessness and emptiness are not the same as just being upset. One of the symptoms is that it just saps the joy out of things you like and you can't enjoy them anymore because of it. Everything becomes bland and pointless and people judge you for struggling. The brain is an organ that can get sick and have conditions like any other part of the body but because most of the outward symptoms are behavioral people call you an attention seeker. It sucks so bad I'm so tired

[JibberJabJones]

on disability because of it. i never get more than a couple of days before it returns, full force. nearly 30 years, now, and a childhood full of inexplicable sadness even before that. it has put everything i've ever wanted well out of reach. that last one is without a doubt the worst trigger of them all. by all normal societal definitions, i am an abject failure. and i will not let myself forget it. and i don't know who else has this experience with their mental illness, but i don't have good days. i feel hopelessness constantly. the best days i get are simply ones where the hopelessness is slightly milder. that's the best it ever gets.

[melinapaixao]

Thank you ❤. My last episode is already 2 years on and I can’t seem to get out of it. I am so ashamed that I have a good situation, a loving husband, no extreme financial problems, a wonderful flat near a beautiful park with a lake, and still some days can’t shower nor eat. I haven’t tried accepting much less allowing me to feel this way… maybe that’s exactly what I need

[michaelblumberg]

Thank you! I now feel that I am not the only person dealing with depression

[catherinewylie]

Thank you for this. I often totally forget the acceptance and allowance part of it. I just feel angry and sad that I am going through it - again! I guess I have to allow for that, too and just get on with functioning through it and resting when I need, because depression is a very real energy sapper.

[randystebbins]

This young lady is brilliant! It took me many, many years to understand what the bad feelings were (clinical depression), start working on it and me and come up with ways to manage it. She did this relatively quickly. It rarely goes away, but having ways of coping is extremely helpful. This was a very powerful speech. Thank you!

[ieaturanium]

Thank you for this. I’m 18 and my dark cloud developed at 13. Just came out of nowhere…… but this is very insightful I’m going to try to accept myself and my illness more.

[MarianaFerreiragatoslindos]

You are so brave ❤ I know the struggle thank you for “you’ve gotten better from this before you’ll do it again” when I was 18 I went to clinical depression back at it again 😢

[ATTF]

Yours was the best presentation I’ve heard on living with depression. Beginning now I will utilize the plan you created, because it makes more sense to me than anything else. Thank you so much Angelica. You have given me hope.

[ibniloveitmushtaq]

To all the people with clinical depression...you people are survivors❤

[bhavdab]

Thank you for this speech and sharing this. I didnt know that I was dealing with depression & anxiety all these years since I was a kid. I've always wondered why I am always feeling depressed and now in my 30s, I have spent the past 6-7 years trying to get better after a few mental break downs. I always tried to mask it by joking or pretending to be happy now its too hard to hard the other older I get. I sometimes now overshare my thoughts when they are extreme and I sometimes beat myself up mentally doing it thinking im crazy and such a mess. Listening to you really helps me understand depression more, that its real and find out ways to be okay with it. Also being okay to express it to others because its hard when people do not know what I/we are going through. Thank you!