Sometimes, you just need a hobby

I feel like every few days I am dying to create something new. This probably is not a problem for everyone, but I find it a daily challenge!
I was not the most imaginative kid. I played with a few dolls as a little girl, but I never had an imaginary friend or pretended I had food to share with grown-ups like my cute niece does. When I hit puberty, though, I began to find that I had a desire to create. I've been painting, baking, cooking (yes, there's a difference), sewing, decorating, etc. ever since. At least it is a more healthy alternative to being on Facebook or Netflix all day.
My current hobbies include pastry making, painting simple wall art, and sewing skirts. I don't exactly know where these ideas for new creations/hobbies come from, but I recognize them often and try to act on them, otherwise I begin feeling like I am not doing much with my life. (I guess you could say this blog is also one of my current hobbies, too.)
Doing all of these random things has helped me a lot with my depression. When I am creating something, I feel like I am giving life to a feeling or some thoughts I am having. It is an emotional outlet. The only problem is that sometimes I feel like I put too much into it. My perfectionism comes out as I want to create something that illustrates exactly how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking. Consequently I then become frustrated when I find I am not as skilled as my imagination at making that perfect 3 tiered, buttercream flower covered, smoothly frosted cake I had seen in my head. It is at that point I need to take a step back and realize things don't need to be perfect. The important thing is that I am letting out emotions that need to leave my mind for a time.
Today, I will challenge myself to work on my current painting (an image of Jesus Christ's hand reaching out) and post pictures of my progress. I believe that seeing continual images of my progress on a project will benefit my feelings towards my efforts.

A Little Intro

I've decided that it is time to step out of my comfort zone and open up about how the world of anxiety can sometimes feel like a whole other dimension of life. My name is Katy and I have generalized anxiety disorder and dysthymia. Having grown up all my life with these mental challenges, I have seen the world in a way that is different from a lot of people around me. Approximately 5% of the world's population suffers from some form of depression (Healthline). Although this number can only be so accurate as many go their entire lives without being diagnosed for many reasons. My goal of putting my thoughts out their for the world to see is to help raise awareness that mental challenges are not necessarily terrible things, and are not nearly as uncommon as we may think.
I grew up in a religious family with 3 siblings and two wonderful parents. There was always love in my home. I am still religious myself and I am not happily married to an amazing man. Unlike popular opinion, mental illnesses are not always cause by some traumatic experience in a person's life. The primary cause of most mental illnesses is actually genetics (ADAA). Inside the brain a million of connectors that help carry out the brain's functions, these are called neurotransmitters. If something goes wrong in these connections throughout various parts of the brain, a person can experience difficulty in carrying out normal functions (such as what moods you should be experiencing). Now, I am no psychology expert, but I do feel that it is important for people to understand just a little bit about how the brain functions and how that can play a part in mental disabilities. (Harvard Health Publications is a great source for those who want to learn more about the function of the brain and how that affects mental health.)
I won't go into too much detail in this blog about how the brain functions, but I will mention things from time to time to help support my thoughts and ideas. Again, my main purpose of writing my thoughts is to raise awareness as well as allowing those who struggle with mental challenges to know that they are not alone.