Am I Depressed? My Journey Through Depression, Anxiety, and Building icalm Health

As the co-founder of icalm Health, I’m deeply passionate about mental health and finding real, natural ways to ease stress and anxiety. Why? Because I’ve been there. For years, I struggled with depression, though I didn’t always understand it for what it was.

Depression, for me, wasn’t just a passing sadness or feeling moody. It felt like my mind was working against me. I’d get paralyzed by fear and doubt, and every time I thought about my goals, I’d freeze. I’d sit there, staring at everything I needed to do, totally overwhelmed.

Each day that passed without action just made things worse, creating an endless cycle of inaction and sadness. This experience taught me a lot about social anxiety symptoms and the complex ways our bodies and minds react to stress.

After what felt like years of soul-searching, reading book after book, and having countless late-night talks with doctors and PhD friends, I discovered something significant.

Depression isn’t always just emotional; it can also be our body’s way of signaling that we need support, nourishment, and even specific nutrients.

My healing journey became about nourishing my mind, body, and spirit in ways that felt right for me. Here’s how I pieced it all together and found my path to mental wellness.

Nourishing the Mind: Setting Goals with Purpose

One of the hardest things about living with depression or social anxiety is feeling stuck, as if your mind has been hijacked. For me, my mind constantly looped on fears, self-doubt, and what-ifs. I’d worry about social interactions, avoid situations where I might have to meet new people, and overthink my every action. Living with social anxiety or depression can create physical symptoms too—a racing heart, shaky feeling, or tight chest. These are the symptoms of social anxiety that people with social anxiety often feel in awkward social situations.

For my mind, I realized that setting purposeful, real goals was essential. I needed something to reach for, something that would help me feel I was moving forward. My biggest goal? Creating the icalm stress & anxiety relief shot to help others like me find peace and relief. Breaking down that goal into small, concrete steps made it more manageable and less overwhelming. Every time I tackled even a small task, it felt like a small victory, and that dark cloud would lift just a little. Goals gave me direction and the motivation to keep moving forward, and each step I took reminded me that healing is possible.

Nourishing the Body: Finding Physical Balance

While depression and anxiety are often talked about as mental health conditions, they have physical effects, too. Physical symptoms like fatigue, tension, and even digestive issues can be common symptoms that affect daily life. The stress can take a toll on your overall health, heart rate, and energy levels. When dealing with social anxiety or depression, physical balance is often a part of the solution.

For me, physical balance became essential. I started practicing yoga, which brought me a kind of calm and focus that I hadn’t experienced before. Yoga helped me develop a grounded presence, a moment where I didn’t feel anxious or overwhelmed. Alongside yoga, I also took up running, which gave me energy and helped me build lower body strength. Running felt like a well of resilience I could draw from whenever I felt mentally drained. For people with social anxiety, exercise can be an amazing way to release that pent-up tension and stress.

In addition to physical activity, I also began supplementing with the icalm stress & anxiety relief shot, which contains natural ingredients like magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, and ashwagandha.

These ingredients are known to promote relaxation and reduce social anxiety symptoms, making it easier for me to approach daily life with a calm, clear mindset. The nutrients, combined with my physical routine, brought a renewed sense of well-being.

Nourishing the Spirit: Reconnecting with Faith

One of the most unexpected parts of my journey was how important it became to nourish my spirit. For me, this meant reconnecting with my faith. Each morning, I began reading the Bible—just four pages to start my day. This simple ritual became an anchor, something that reminded me that I wasn’t alone and that things could, indeed, get better.

For people dealing with social anxiety or depression, finding a grounding practice, whether it’s faith, meditation, or something personal, can make all the difference.

Reading scripture, reflecting, and praying helped me feel hopeful, even on tough days. Depression and anxiety aren’t just about mental or emotional pain; they affect every part of us, including our spirit. Nourishing each part of myself helped me break the cycle of sadness, fear, and doubt. Over time, I began to feel more like myself.

Learning Along the Way: Understanding Anxiety and Depression

Throughout my healing journey, I came to understand that depression and social anxiety aren’t always easy to spot. Social anxiety symptoms can be tricky—they might include avoiding social situations, feeling anxious about meeting new people, or having a shaky feeling in certain settings. People with social anxiety may also experience physical symptoms, like sweating, increased heart rate, or feeling lightheaded.

Mental health professionals often recommend different ways to deal with social anxiety and depression, from talk therapy to natural supplements and lifestyle changes. I found that talk therapy helped me work through many of the mental barriers I faced.

Talking with a mental health professional allowed me to explore my symptoms and understand what triggered them. For some, treatments for social anxiety include learning new social skills, joining support groups, or finding ways to manage awkward social situations.

Supporting Each Other: You’re Not Alone in This

One of the most important realizations on my journey was that I wasn’t alone. Many people with social anxiety or depression feel isolated, but support groups, friends, and family can be a powerful source of comfort.

Sharing experiences with people who understand what it’s like to have social anxiety or to feel anxious about everyday things can be a relief. Whether it’s meeting new people or dealing with the pressure of social interactions, support groups provide a safe place to learn and grow.

Looking back, I see that nourishing each part of myself—mind, body, and spirit—helped me break the cycle of depression and social anxiety. For many of us, these aren’t just mental or emotional struggles; they can affect us physically, spiritually, and everything in between.

When I finally had the right nutrients, support, and took small steps forward, things began to change. And that’s why I created icalm Health: to help others find relief naturally and to remind them that they’re not alone in this journey.

If any of this resonates with you, please share your story with me. I’d love to hear about your journey and help you find your own path to feeling calm, grounded, and whole. Remember, there are real ways to deal with social anxiety, depression, and stress, and it starts with knowing you’re not alone.

With Love,
Daniela Suarez
Co-Founder & CEO, icalm Health 🌿

For all my Zen Ninjas: Stay grounded, stay calm.