My Dear Friends,
It pains me to find out that you are struggling. That your mental health is a cause for concern to you and the people around you.
You know what makes me proud though? The fact that you have identified what ails you.
There are so many people who spend a lifetime not realising what is wrong with them. While others live in denial of what is. There are still others who choose to look away, as admitting something would make it real. A few decide to hide their condition, and suffer silently.
This is why I applaud you. You’ve acknowledged what is wrong, and you’ve decided to set it right.
If someone fractures their limb, they immediately see an Orthopedic Doctor to get a cast and set the bone right. If the throat is infected, an ENT Doctor is consulted. Why then do people shy away from seeing a Psychologist / Psychiatrist when they don’t feel right mentally? It is because of the stigma that still shadows mental illness.
How hypocritical is it that we look up in awe at celebrities abroad who openly announce they have personal therapists, and look down upon our friends if they share that they see a therapist.
Does this attitude keep you away from seeking help? Or sharing that you are? I am sure it does.
I am playing devil’s advocate when I say this, but the terms ‘mental health’,‘depression’ and the like are being used so loosely these days that we are left wondering who is the one really suffering and who is the one who carelessly thinks they may be.
I guess both should be given a listening ear and the benefit of doubt, right? I have realised they should.
If each of us becomes more sensitive to those who need us to be.
If each of us reads up and educates ourselves better on mental health.
If each of us develops empathy instead of sympathy.
If each of us stops thinking of ‘Mental Health’ as a stigma or a topic that should be swept under the carpet, we have already taken the first step in standing with our friends who are weighed down by various mental issues.
I promise to.
Do you?