Speaking About Mental Health

 

As I am sure you guys already know, I am very passionate about mental health. Since I was a young girl, I have had my own battles with OCD and depression. Currently, I am at a good stage of my journey, however that has not always been the case. Over the years here on my blog I have written countless posts all about mental health. However, I do still get questions about why I post so much about this subject. Some people even believe that mental health is a taboo subject that shouldn’t be openly talked about. In this post I am going to share why we should continue speaking about mental health. There are so many reasons why we need to keep the conversation going. Here are just a few reasons why mental health is an important subject that we all need to talk about.

 

An increasing number of people have mental health issues.

In the wake of the horror that was the pandemic, more people are struggling with their mental health. I have had friends that have recently began to struggle and they are turning to me. They turn to me because they know that I have my own struggles and I know how to talk to people about this. With more people than ever finding it hard, we need to talk. By being open, we encourage more people to open up and speak about how they are feeling. We need to be equipped to help more people talk about this.

 

There is still a taboo about speaking about mental health.

I still find that some people find it challenging to speak about mental health. For example, my grandparents think I am a bit of a looney for mentioning my depression. It is a very old-fashioned and warped way of thinking. However, I do still come across people that are younger, that still believe you shouldn’t talk about things like this. There is nothing to hide about struggling with your mental health. We will only overcome the stigma by talking about it openly and honestly. I am not crazy for having OCD, I am a real person. Sometimes people need to simply learn and educate themselves.

 

Some people simply don’t know how to speak about mental health.

I can remember the first time I mentioned my depression to my father-in-law, he looked shell shocked. I don’t think he expected me to come out with the statement. He had never spoken about mental health before, and it was blatantly obvious. That is no disrespect to him, he simply had never been in that position before. It meant that he didn’t know how to speak to me and ask me deeper questions about it. By speaking about mental health openly, I helped him to learn how to speak to somebody that is wanting to open up.

 

It is encouraging to learn from other peoples experiences.

Another reason to encourage people to continue speaking about mental health is to learn from other people’s experiences. I can remember my first really serious flare up with my OCD. I was unable to think straight, and I really did believe that I was losing my mind. However, after speaking to my councillor, I was put in touch with somebody much older than myself that also suffered with mental health conditions. Just knowing that I wasn’t going through it alone made me feel much saner and like I had the ability to keep going. If we don’t speak honestly, people will not know that there are others out there that are also struggling.

 

We need to encourage people to open up more.

During the first lockdown, I saw something wonderful in my husband. Because he knew and understood my struggles, he reached out to people. He called all of his close friends, one on one and checked in with them to make sure that they were ok. People will only fully open up to you if they feel like they can. Reach out to people before you feel like they really need it. Be that friend that people can rely on. Also, if you think that there is somebody else needs help, reach out. Sometimes people only think of doing this once it is too late. Step up, be the best friend and confidant that you can be.

 

Mental health is a subject that I will never tire of writing about. As challenging as my mental health can be, it makes me who I am. Without the OCD and anxiety, I am not myself. The older that I get, the easier I am finding handling the conditions and the more open I am about discussing the subject. When it comes to mental health, I know that I am one of the lucky ones. For me, it is never complete darkness. I have glimmers of light and that allows me to come out of the dark periods. However, I do know that isn’t the case for everybody. Hence why we need to continue to speak about mental health.