A Message About Mental Health
As we bring Mental Health Month to a close, I was reminded of scenario within that space I wish to share. Recently, I noticed a friend wanting to explore therapy. Not knowing where to start they put out a request on social media asking if anyone had a therapist they recommended and why. Given they have thousands of followers, it seemed like a great resource for feedback. Especially since typically when a request on social media is made for the best coffee shop, restaurant, book, vacation spot, diaper, movie on netflix, CPA...whatever it is we need assistance with, we are soon flooded with responses.
Yet when my friend asked for assistance in taking the next step in nurturing their mental health, cue crickets. Literally no one offered a recommendation and the two people who even responded simply said something to the effect of "I hope you're ok." While those two deserve praise for expressing empathy, it spoke volumes about the other thousands of followers who felt silence (even in a diluted level of anonymity) was a better response of support than offering up their own experience. Perhaps too many of them are also seeking assistance and felt they nothing to offer. Perhaps they're not ready to face their own mental health challenges. Perhaps the mere mention of therapy is too heavy to even allow into their mental bubble without judgement. Regardless, the drop in engagement when mentioning therapy and/or mental health in general was so palpable that it gave both my friend and me pause. Why do we flock towards distraction within our own lives and even openly encourage others to do the same but then suddenly disappear when faced with an opportunity to elevate our own mental health or that of another?
The continued stigma of mental health within our human collective is both tragic and wildly misinformed. Mental health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". This is a drastically different definition than that of Mental Illness and it seems to me that the general population have the two terms conflated. This is incredibly dangerous and needs to be corrected for society at large to exist in a space of positivity and growth for everyone. In our unique yet brief existence on this earth, we should not only be proud to make our mental health a priority but happily support others who wish to do the same. The only way we can move closer towards mental health acceptance as a collective (rather than avoidance) is to be more open with our own mental health practices as individuals.
So I'll start: My name is Erin and I have PTSD due to adversity in childhood and medical trauma related to both my physical health and that of my son. I was diagnosed with PPA (Postpartum Anxiety) 2.5 years after my son was born and while it took longer than I'd like to find someone who could help me to understand what I was navigating, I'm happy I vocalized my experience enough for it to lead me towards assistance in healing.
There's no room for shame, fear, judgement or even avoidance in the space of mental health. In order to shift the perception, we need to embrace more opportunities to discuss mental health openly and share as much as we're comfortable with when they arise. If we can openly discuss cleaning out our colons and flushable wipes, we can certainly entertain more conversations about cleaning out our soul and shifting the stigma. Our lives, quite literally, depend on it.
Remember, keep telling your story with an open heart, while listening to others with an open mind.
- Erin