You would go to the doctor for a broken arm. You would take time off from work if you developed a life-threatening illness. Why is it so hard for us to do the same for our mental health?
Growing up, mental health wasn’t something that was talked about — not in my school, and certainly not in my family. Movies and television shows idealized the idea of being able to “toughen up” when things got hard, and I grew up believing that being strong meant not ever acknowledging my pain and anger. Nobody specifically told me to think this way, but society made it so that it was impossible for me not to.
At this point in my life, there are few things that matter to me more than mental health. Mental health is so important, and we are not talking about it enough. There are 40 million adults in the United States that are affected by anxiety disorder, and more than half of those individuals go untreated. On the other hand, there are 322 million people worldwide that suffer from depression. On average, there are 129 suicides per day.
The numbers are outrageous and frightening. Despite that, there is still a stigma that surrounds mental illness. My biggest goal with this blog would be to remove that stigma once and for all. I plan on using this space to discuss mental health, emotional wealth, and trying to find your best self. We’re all struggling a little bit with something, but none of us are alone.
I’m no expert, but I do understand. My faith has been tested more than a few times. I’ve lost a lot of people I cared about, and I’ve had to pick myself up from the ground way too many times. I felt like I was in the dark for a long time. It wasn’t until I connected with others like me that felt a lot of the same things I did that I finally started to find my voice again.
I still work on my anxiety and depression every day. I still have bad days. I just spend more of my time now trying to focus on the good days. What works for me may not necessarily work for you, but I’d like to try and offer some support if I can. I’m going to explore different companies and sources. I want to learn it all so that I can better help other people. We’ll learn together.
Don’t give up. Fight the fight. All the cheesy stuff is repetitive because it works. Check in with your friends. Force yourself to get out of bed. If it’s the only productive thing you did all day, give yourself a pat on the back. Trust me, that counts! Reach out. Be kind to others, but more importantly, be kind to yourself.
They might call us crazy, but I’ve decided to take back that word. No more hiding behind the stigma. Let’s own the crazy!
