I am a person that deals with the everyday struggle of Mental health. I have been dealing with this situation for several years now and I can personally say me writing about this topic makes me super anxious that I'll miss something and nervous that I'll say the wrong thing but, I'm willing to give it a go.
Mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, even the way we act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
When people hear about mental health they ultimately think of depression. All the other side effects of mental health is never taken into consideration because depression is what's publicized about the most. We've seen depression take the lives of many from the always happy Robin Williams to rock star legend Kurt Cobain. But, being someone that deals with mental health on a daily basis I can tell you it's much more than overwhelming sadness, it's several different emotions hitting you all at once out of nowhere or all different emotions at different times. Experiencing this at random times makes it even harder to cope with the challenge of mental health because it could hit you as soon as you wake up so you don't even have the desire of wanting to get out of bed. I've been to points in my life where I could be happy and smiling at one second and the next second I'd be down in the dumps over something that happened years ago. At times I like being by myself and being independent but mental health isnt something you can battle on your own.
Adding anxiety to the depression makes it even ten times worse. Social anxiety gives you this nervous feeling that makes you feel like you're standing out of a crowd and then worrying that you're not good enough to be around. Dealing with these both at the same time has made me disconnect with my family/friends and overwhelmed my brain with the thoughts that I shouldn't be here. Waking up with the everyday battle of staying happy is very draining mentally/physically. You over think the smallest inconvenience in the world but it’s the biggest deal to you. I have been making strides to becoming a more stronger person mentally/physically and eliminating things that are not contributing to my happiness and only worrying about what means the most to me. Does this stop it from happening? No, like I said, these encounters can happen out of nowhere and can make you feel alone and that nobody cares.
You may even think that your parents are against you coming from a generation where mental health wasn't ever took into consideration, whereas it's becoming a bigger problem by the day in our generation. I personally think it's just hard for the parents to relate and talk about the problem since they've never really dealt with a situation quite like it so they're just lost because they're trying to think what they did wrong and the right thing to say.
If you're in a relationship with a individual dealing with mental health issues, it can be super challenging at times with the person thinking you’re to good for them and constantly trying to push you away. But, I promise we have a lot of love to give and want everything to be perfect. Also, if someone dealing with a mental health situation starts talking to you please, don't smother the person and don't ask the question of “tell me what's wrong" or “you'll be fine and will eventually get over it" because that can send them into thinking even deeper into it and make them feel like they're bugging you. Just give the person space and give them the reassurance of that you're there and that you do care.
Remember, you can't have a better tomorrow if you're always thinking about yesterday!
