Quite often we hear the words “Get over it” as if our problems are not big enough or serious enough to be categorized as real problems. But people don’t understand the pressure such words create on people who already have more than enough on their plate that they are struggling to deal with. Mental illness stems from such problems which don’t receive attention in their early stages and the seriousness of which Is taken as a joke thus making it a traumatizing experience later on. The power someone’s words or actions carry is massive and we are ignorant of that power and how it can adversely affect someone’s mental health.
We fail to distinguish people actually suffering from mental illness from those who think they are suffering from it, so It has become necessary in the 21st century to properly define mental health. Mental health is the “condition of a person with regards to their emotional and psychological well-being” it mostly revolves around levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Though we have seen a massive improvement in the general perception of mental health but there is still a long way to go. Lack of education and stigma leads to the misunderstanding that people facing mental health issue are not “normal” and that one should not associate with such people. But the need of the hour is to be compassionate and considerate towards these people and their problems as well as we should try our best to help them cope up by making them feel accepted and surrounding them with positivity. Treat them as your own. Usually people feel the need to conceal their Mental pain by putting on a forced smile like the world is their stage and they have to put up a show to satisfy the audience. But the important thing to realize is the burden this creates on those enduring mental illness and that battling alone can lead to further deterioration of your mental health.
Share your concerns with your true friends and family who you know will be there for you without any questions or judgement. We need transparency and openness in the system like a clear sky without any clouds of judgement hovering over it. Realizing that mental illness is not a weakness or a short coming rather people fighting with it and defeating it are one of the strongest for overcoming such unimaginable pain. Talking about mental health not only helps you to overcome your fears but also helps arouse sensitivity and better understanding of it amongst your peers, family, doctors etc. Hearing someone talk about their pain and suffering and how they succeeded in recovering from it is inspiring as well as makes people more empathetic towards the topic. We need to realize that mental health is not in anyone’s control and no one decides on it so these people should not be treated any different for having such an illness. Everyone is constantly fighting a battle you know nothing about so be wise and careful with your words and actions. Direct them towards a good cause rather than putting others down. And talking about mental health requires complete awareness and information on the topic so research about its causes and ways to provide aid and emotional support to those suffering. One shouldn’t talk on a topic they have little to no idea as it can hurt others.
“Mental health is not a destination but a process”
“Mental health is not a destination but a process” healing requires time as it is not a one day’s work instead there is a gradual improvement in your condition. All attempts should be focused on feeling more happy, cheerful and confident than the day before. First comes the realization that it is OKAY to not be okay sometimes, it is okay to make mistakes or to feel nervous or to want to be alone and spend time with yourself. IT IS OKAY TO MAKE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH A PRIORITY. What is not okay is the society judging and blaming people for having a mental illness and that thought process needs to be refined and modified. We are living in a world where most people are suffering from some form of mental illness so we need to stop differentiating and start initiating. Initiate talking about it, initiate acting upon it, initiate normalizing it, initiate destigmatizing it and initiate treatments in the early stages of it.
There are no visible symptoms for depreciation of mental health like sneezing, coughing, bleeding, etc. There is just a certain kind of intangible darkness that surrounds you and you don’t know how to make that go away or fill your head with light or cheerful thoughts anymore. Slowly you start detaching yourself from the world while the darkness in your head just keeps getting to you with an overflow of anxiety, sadness and various kinds of thoughts also known as overthinking, one of the worst problems that is faced by about 73% of the people 25-35 year old according to a study by university of Michigan. Since mental illness appears only in the form of a feeling, it is very difficult to identify it or find a fixed cure for it. The cure for mental illness is a subjective topic as different people have different coping mechanisms, some like to be alone while some like to be around people, some benefit from over-eating while some don’t eat at all, some go out to play while others stay home and read a book to calm their mind. So instead of being a critical world that finds faults in someone for being a little mentally unstable let’s be the world full of euphoria and positivity that appreciates and respects someone for their personal development and recovery from that illness.
“What the mind can conceive……it can achieve”
Having a mental illness doesn’t in anyway indicate that it is not possible for you to live a happy life, mental illness is part of the ups and downs of life not the end of it. Yet suicide is the third leading reason for death in the world today. Rather than taking extreme measures if you make up your mind to be better then there is no force that can stop you. “What the mind can conceive……it can achieve” so don’t let anyone play games with your mind, your mind is a beautiful place and you have the courage to remove negativity and disturbing thoughts. As per the law of attraction, if you have negativity and hopelessness in you then that is the kind energy you attract from others. If you are hopeful about life and have a positive outlook towards it then there is no doubt that good things will come your way. YOU ARE THE LIGHT. YOU ARE DESTINED FOR GREATNESS.
Through awareness a person suffering from mental illness can reach out to the right sources and get professional help and assistance. But to save yourself, you have to constantly remind yourself that you are worth saving and to have confidence in yourself and your inner strength that you can get through this. Take care of your mental health with gentleness and compassion and don’t be too hard on yourself. Through awareness even people around you can be sensitized towards the topic and can have a better chance at helping others by being kind, patient and gentle with them.
Awareness on mental health is necessary for people as it eliminates stigma for these people. If we are aware of their limitations and strengths, we can destigmatize mental health. Stigma shames the mentally ill. You should keep an open mind and not cut off the mentally ill from the society rather be accepting and help them through their recovery. Such Attitudes and behaviours remove pessimism and promote optimism. If there is a negative trend than the implications may cause a combination of denial and hatred in the mind of the mentally ill which may lead to future clashes.
Awareness helps in easy identification and early treatment. If you know the proper way of dealing with someone suffering from mental illness then only you can help them out by early intervention. The person suffering might be a close friend or a family member and you can be of help to them by increasing your knowledge on mental health and its treatments. Knowledge is power and only people who have that power can uplift and motivate others.
Awareness can also create new improvements for the mentally ill. As there is more demand from the public, it can produce a flow of attention. This attention can eventually result in great changes for the mentally ill. It can lead to improvements on research and development and related services. Raising awareness can result in more funding for the needs of the mentally ill.
In addition, there is a great misconception for the mentally ill. Many think these people are lazy or just making it up. They are also called “attention-seekers”. They are considered to be either crazy, possessed, unnecessarily violent or unsafe as it is thought that they can harm people. These are negative labels that have been attached due to the lack of awareness. Raising awareness can reduce misconceptions and judgements. 70-80% of mental illnesses are surface-level and not as severe like depression, overly aggressive behaviour and anxiety so mentally ill people aren’t all deranged psychopaths and they are not that different from what is considered to be “normal”.
Mental health awareness should not only be for a day or two or even a month. We must be informed about it because it can easily happen to someone close to us. Community awareness for mental health reduces stigma. Mental health awareness increases the chances for early intervention, which can result in a fast recovery. Awareness reduces negative adjectives that have been set to describe our people with a metal illness.
By raising awareness, mental health can now be seen as an illness and not some crazy attention-seeking act. These illnesses can be managed by treatment and talking to experienced people who can guide you better. Treating Mental illness should be considered equally important as treating physical ones. Though A “broken brain” cannot be seen like a broken bone that doesn’t give anyone the right to ignore it and just let it be. The brain can be a devastating place and in some ways can damage a person way more than physical illness.
Awareness is a form of education. Awareness is key for understanding what mental health is and how families can receive the help they need. And the right way to react to someone who is sharing this problem with you. Public knowledge is important in accessing community resources. Lack of awareness of mental health is not just “their” problem, it is our problem as a community we are not to leave anyone to fight this battle alone and rather we have to encourage them every step of the way to keep moving forward to a place where they can finally feel peace or feel “at home”. We need to know that as hard and disturbing it is for us to listen to these issues it is as difficult for them to explain what they are going through and to confide in someone. So be respectful and graceful about it and provide them with any support you can. Even making them feel valid and accepted in the society is a great way of showing concern and support.
DON’T LET YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS BE YOUR IDENTITY BECAUSE THERE IS MORE TO YOU THAN THAT SO EMBRACE IT.
Awareness does not just end here. Attend health fairs, resource fairs, read more, listen to it to gain awareness and Hold webinars, drives and workshop to convey the same loud and clear to others. You can also Organize support groups for such people as it has proved to be an effective forum for exchange of problems and solutions. Collect as much information and resources as you can and attract as much crowd as you can so that mental health gets the attention it deserves. And overall pass it on and preach the importance of mental health awareness to as many people as possible. Let’s start a domino effect for awareness on mental health. Don’t be scared to talk about it. It’s hard work, but the power to reach and teach the community is well worth it.