Discussing Mental Health
Hi guys,
I am prone to using social media but often I find myself forgetting it’s open for the world to see. It should be considered that when we use social media and post photo’s, these are things that we are actively choosing to share. We choose to let our followers know about the happy moments, whether that it’s our 3 year anniversary with our partner, or that we are sipping cocktails in the Santorini Sun absorbing that vitamin-D, or that we’ve got that new job which we had strived so hard to get, and if you want to share that then that is fine you have worked hard for it and that is something to be proud of. But what can often be disregarded are the sad times.
In a sense, social media can be seen as a blessing. Imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King had Instagram, the protest videos he could have shared would have resulted in further global uproar. Imagine if the suffragettes had Snapchat, then we would have all been forced to watch them chaining themselves to parliament buildings and fighting for women’s rights. It’s just crazy that we have the internet and this kind of technology in the palm of our hands and the ability it has to help and inspire others is even crazier.
I have decided to use blogger today to discuss something personal as 1 in 4 people will experience mental health issue at some point in their life and I think this is too a high a statistic for people to ignore. Mental health is just as important as physical health and the government has engrained in our minds how important it is to stay physically healthy, but what about mental health?
We should not ignore but should rather acknowledge that at some point in our lives we will most likely be affected by poor mental health ourselves because of our own state or our loved one’s mental state. I must admit how difficult I personally find it to talk about mental issues because of my exterior upbeat personality and also when previously confiding in someone, being met with a response that the academic stress I was going through at the time was an invalid reason to feel down as everyone else has to deal with it too. When you are met with responses like these it is kind of deflating. Sometimes when confiding in people about your feelings, it’s not a response you are looking for, but simply just two ears to listen. I understand that everyone has gone through academic stress and some handle it better than others, but when you are already feeling unbalanced when more stresses are added on top of that it can be quite problematic.
Whenever you mention mental health I feel like in some people’s minds alarm bells ring and they just think of straight-jackets, psychotic episodes, and ambulances. In most cases, I do not think that this is true.
Mental issues aren’t always this, mental issues are things such as anxiety, and making plans but staying up the night before because of the crippling stomach pangs and muscular tensions keeping you awake as you are worried about being around a large group of people or having a break down in public. Anxiety can be the chronic bloating or heartburn you feel that simply does not disappear despite taking indigestion tablets or drinking peppermint tea by the litre. Anxiety is having a conversation with someone and replaying it over and over in your head for weeks on end because you feel like you shouldn’t have said what you said, and now that you have you are unsure if that person likes you anymore. Anxiety is struggling to form friendships or relationships because you can’t concentrate on what’s going on around you because you are so consumed by your own thoughts and worries. Anxiety is worrying to the point of a panic attack and not being able to calm yourself down. Anxiety can be coming across as too eager because you so desperately want to be around other people to escape your incessant worrying but can’t. Stress is having to stay awake using tissue after tissue to stop the chronic nose bleeds you are experiencing or having to go to the doctor because of the three periods you’ve had that month. Stress is your stomach tying itself into knots and not being able to keep food down no matter how hard you try. Depression is that voice which harrows and manifests in your mind, telling you all the things that are wrong with you, your wonky teeth, your chubby cheeks, your commitment issues and you assume that the voice is what everyone else thinks too. Depression can be self-harming because you have reached the point of numbness, and just want to feel something. Depression is walking down the street and making eye contact with a stranger and thinking they’re giving you a scornful look when in reality, they were just glancing over. Depression is being mentally paralysed when trying to do something productive and not finding the motivation to start. Depression is not being able to create something you are proud of because you believe everything you do is terrible, so what’s the point in trying anyway? Depression is your 4 am alarm bell, alerting you that you are not good enough. Depression is waking up and fighting a battle which you believe can’t be won when it can. It can be won if more people open up and talk about their mental health. It can be won if others are accepting of different mental states instead of commenting ‘it’s just a phase.’ Even if others believe it is ‘just a phase’, each time you manage to find that voice, each time you stand up and ask for support or talk to your friend, you are showing that despite what is going on in your mind you have more strength than you could ever imagine. Every person in the world has had to rely on someone else for help at some point in their lives. It’s time to end the stigma, embarrassment, and shame people feel about seeking help, and instead, replace it with love and compassion. We already have one up on previous generations, we have technology and social media and we can talk to friends, share our holiday photos, and can also try to utilise it for even greater causes.
Here are some links to charities and organisations who focus on improving people’s mental health. This is a sensitive topic and I hope I have not caused offense to anyone. There are also emergency phone numbers. I hope you all have a beautiful day x
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