Why Mental Health Matters #BreakTheStigma
HELLO, welcome back to the blog! I know it’s been about a month since my last post and I’ve been a little MIA. Life has been filled with some crazy twists and turns the last few months from moving out of my apartment to starting a new job and finishing up the school year. It is also the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month, which is pretty fitting since in times of stress and change it is common for us all to feel our mental health pushed to the wayside.
I have always found the relationship the public has with mental health really interesting. Personally, I am no stranger to the topic and have gone through many ups and downs with my mental health, like many people. I also admit to going to therapy, prioritizing time for myself, and processing my feelings and emotions in healthy and productive ways. Mental health is no different than the health and well-being of any other part of your body, and to be honest, it is probably more important. It’s funny that some people tell me “I don’t believe in therapy” or “mental health doesn’t matter.” FIRSTLY, I can tell you 1000% from experience that your mind can do more damage to you than any physical pain or ailment. Why do we rush to hospitals and doctors when we feel physical pain, but when the part of our body that controls everything we do, feel, and say begins to suffer we don’t give it any attention? It is important to remember that the mind is powerful and deserves just as much attention as a broken arm, aching joint, or illness.
“Why do we rush to hospitals and doctors when we feel physical pain, but when the part of our body that controls everything we do, feel, and say begins to suffer we don’t give it any attention?”
I know it can sometimes be scary to be vulnerable and transparent about the difficulties we encounter. To be honest, I don’t really share it with that many people (therefore the reason I go to a safe space like therapy to talk things out). What I have learned is that just having those 2-3 people you can talk to about anything, no matter the context, can greatly impact your mental health and free you from mental pains that can otherwise get worse over time.
Let’s all try to be a little better at acknowledging the power of the mind and the role that our emotions can have on our daily lives. It is in times like #MentalHealthMonth that we can start to shine light on the common struggles of everyday people and begin to be more compassionate and end the negative stigma associated with mental health and mental health disorders.
