My title may be a little passive aggressive.. but these situations really grind my gears.
I am most definitely pleased of the attention everyone is giving Mental Health Awareness Week on social media! The number of anxiety and depression diagnoses seem to be skyrocketing and it’s saddening that I know more people who struggle with mental illness than those who don’t. Clearly, mental health needs more awareness and fortunately I feel like it’s definitely slowly happening.
There are now countless posts on social media about ‘being there’ for those who are struggling with mental illness. Sure, it’s great – fantastic even. But how much of it is real?Is it just to tick your imaginary philanthropist box to make your own image appear better? I know this sounds overly negative, and you’re probably thinking who am I to even be criticising people who are meaning well. But before you click x, just hear me out.
When (or if) you’ve noticed someone you know with scars from self harm, do you look away? Maybe even judge them for being attention seeking? Do you talk about them to others but never actually check in on the person to see how they’re really going? Do you get frustrated when someone calls in sick due to their anxiety – but continue to call yourself an advocate for mental health? I know these examples are heavy and may be close to home (noone likes to hear the truth), but I’ve seen this too many times. And I was once the person who spoke about them but never to them. I’ve improved but I still have plenty more room for further growth in this area.
The truth is, it’s so confusing to understand and empathise for those who suffer from mental illness when you haven’t experienced it yourself. It’s only been within the last 6 years of studying and talking to people about their experiences that I have a glimpse of what it’s like to suffer from anxiety, depression and OCD. So far I know that active listening without judgemental is far more therapeutic than one could imagine. Currently, I’m still learning what I can do to make mental health easier to approach for the everyday person who still lives in a mental health-phobic society.
The moral of this post is to not be scared to have the tough (yet much-needed) conversations, stop being judgemental and talking about other people’s problems. And most importantly, don’t care just this week – care every damn day. ✌🏻
& the earth kept spinning 