My name is Gabe Howard. I live in Ohio, am married, a hockey fan (go Blue Jackets), a college football fan (go Buckeyes), a couch potato, the life of the party, a home owner, and a pizza connoisseur. I sleep too little, talk too much, and drive my wife mad. I tell her I do it because I like the company.
In my late 20s, I was diagnosed with bipolar, anxiety, and panic disorders. Everything changed pretty much overnight. Severe panic attacks, paranoia, and general anxiety sidelined me for a long while costing me a marriage, a career, friends, social status, money, and time.
Everything Changes for the Worse
It seemed to come out of nowhere, though in retrospect, it seemed obvious that I’d been suffering my whole life from these conditions. My world was a wreck and I didn’t have a clue what to do.
Over the ensuing years, however, I gained quite a lot of knowledge and experience. I also met some amazing and inspirational people along the way. After battling mental illness for years, I knew what I needed to do.
Everything Changes for the Better
Gabe Howard, author of Anxiety-Schmanxiety blog, talks about his diagnoses with bipolar and anxiety disorders and how everything has now changed for the better.So often in my personal and professional life, I have been shocked by the number of people who believe the content of a diagnosis can define the content of their character.
But we are not defined by the disorders and illnesses we have. They are not who we are.
My mission has become helping others understand this and to motivate them to achieve their own personal greatness. I became a motivational speaker, mental health educator and advocate, community activist, storyteller, and writer. I use humor, motivation, and inspiration to challenge audiences to see things from a different point of view. This mission became one of the most rewarding endeavors of my entire life.
I know full well how frightening, challenging, horrifying, and time consuming it can be to manage a mental illness. My hope is that my experiences will help others to better manage their disorders.
Knowledge and experience have really helped me with the day-to-day. If I can learn to see my disorder differently, so can anyone. And nothing makes me happier than knowing I’ve helped someone to do so.
I’d like to thank Gabe for his interest in contributing articles to our site when he’s not busy.