MY THOUGHTS // MENTAL HEALTH

If there's much to be proud of in the world now - and trust me there really ain't a lot - it would have to be the emergence of conversations about mental health.


So many bloggers, advocates, and companies are creating a dialogue about their own personal struggles with mental health or about the stigma itself. What this does is reach out to those who feel alone, feel lost, or feel helpless as well as educates those who may know someone struggling.


I think it's so beyond brave and strong for people to come out with their anxieties, depression, or ED. I know when I was in the throws of my personal ED I could only tell two people after months and months of suffering. But now I wonder if it would have gone differently had I seen/heard so many similar stories.




There is such a problem with young people being dismissed and while I will say a lot of my social anxiety improved with age and experience, I know some of it will never go away.


I have seen someone at their lowest point of depression and I have seen someone in the highest stages of a panic attack. These moments are terrifying, not only for the person who is actually going through it, but for the loved one's around them.


But what happens when you're no longer in your teens and these issues you had growing up have evolved into your adult life? Do we ever talk about how a thirty year old handles depression or do we expect them to have a good enough grip to find help for themselves?


Your brain is your best supporter and your biggest enemy. I read the book Brain on Fire a few months ago and was in shock at how her own mind could turn against her in that way. If humans didn't already feel powerless, knowing that your own body can give you a death sentence is terrifying.


But now let's turn the coin here. If I sit and wallow in my own unhappiness then yes, I'll become depressed. Maybe not clinically but at least situationally. And then I've put myself in the role of the victim.


It's not always your choice but it is about putting in the effort. If I can't be happy with my situation then I have to change my situation. If I'm unhappy it's because I've allowed myself to be put in that state. There is not a person, place, or thing that will change my mind but me.


So, while it's scary that your mind is playing tricks on you, defining your self-worth, or making you someone you pity, there is a path that leads you out. Do you want to find the path? Honestly ask yourself because I believe there are people that have let their entire mental state consume them.


They take the role of the victim and wear it like armor. They cry for help, ask for advice, or blame the world for their problems. There are so many great humans who I have seen reach out to someone multiple times or extended a caring hand only to be ignored, criticized, or verbally attacked. So now this vicious circle continues to turn and turn until we're all exhausted, all extinguished, and all weak.


My personal message to someone struggling is to look for the people who can truly feel empathy. Look at the success stories of someone who, although not identical to you, shared some of the same experiences and overcame them. Your life is valuable and your mind is important. Your body is strong and the sun still shines on your world.


I'm not an expert and of course this is what I have personally taken away from my own experiences. You may not agree and that's totally alright, different opinions are what moves us to progress.