If you know anything about what's been going on within our nation's borders for the past ten years, you know that mental health has been a common topic of discussion.
The outrageous amount of mass shootings that have occurred in 2018 alone is nothing but chilling. This isn't an article repeating what everyone already has an opinion on - the dealings of gun control. This isn't an article blaming mental health issues.
We have created this thought process throughout communities around the world - a wrongful understanding that it is more important to heal a broken bone before an affected area of your brain.
When we watch someone on the football field break their leg, collarbone, or arm, think about what happens. An ambulance is called, they're rushed to the emergency room and their entire group of family and friends is most likely at their feet, assisting them in every way that they can.
Now, stay with me on this one. If you have ever met someone with anxiety, depression, OCD, etc., you might not know the obstacles that are thrown at them while enduring these mental speed bumps. But now, imagine them having to deal with these situations while having those around them, who are supposed to love them, tell them that their "problems" aren't real. That, "it's all in your head."
A person with a mental setback isn't given immediate help or treatment the same way the person with a broken arm is, and for what reason?
Our brains control the way our bodies work. It is as simple as that. Your mind is the reason all of our voluntary muscles function the way that they're supposed to. We can get physical feelings from our brain's realizations. We get emotional sensations from mindful connections.
Yet, we still prioritize our bones above our brains.
How are those mentally affected supposed to seek help when on top of having to deal with this, they feel shameful about it, because our society is uncomfortable with the subject of mental health? We have people in our world spitting on those with more melanin in their skin, but, we're too weirded out to have a conversation about depression.
Obviously, our bodies are our temples, and that's something I support. But our heads - they're the jackpot of the temple; the deepest darkest tunnel, holding the utmost amount of gold you could ever imagine.
We fail to teach our families and our children that what you fuel your body with will affect the way you function as a person.
It took me months to be vulnerable with people about my dealings with anxiety. Learning that roughly 18 percent of the United States population endures it was something that really stood out to me. This whole chunk of about 40 million people in the United States have dealt with something similar to me, and I was struggling with how people around me would interpret this. All because of how we view the power of the mind.
Whether you have found a remedy, prescription, meditation, or your God that has brought you to a place of peace and protection, you should never be ashamed of where you are in life - whether it's a broken bone or every day anxiousness.
