May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I take this really seriously because I feel like so many people just don't understand mental health issues and how they affect people. When you think about how someone has
no right to be depressed or sad or wonder what is wrong with someone who “has
it all” and is acting that way, please stop.
Stop and think about that fact that sometimes there isn't an
explanation. Stop and remember that
money does not buy happiness. Stop and
think about our diverse world with diverse people and how everyone is NOT LIKE
YOU. Some people suffer from mental
health conditions that take over their whole lives. You don’t have to understand it, but you do
have to accept that some people don’t have the same coping mechanism as another
person. Some people have biologically
based problems that affect their brains; we are all different and we all have
different problems and we all react to those problems differently.
Instead of blaming, attacking, being angry at, or dismissing
those people with Mental Health problems, find out what you can do to
help. Help them to help themselves. Understand that we can’t understand
everything, but we can support the people we love. Expecting someone to “snap out of it” or “use
their head” or “get a grip” is not helpful.
Instead help someone find resources that might be able to find a way to
live that is productive and happy. They
are not choosing to feel this way!
I experienced depression at a point in my life when I was feeling very sad with the direction I was going in. It was a short period and not a life sentence for me. Medication and therapy worked wonders for me. It's not that simple for most people who suffer from biological mental health problems. I was lucky.
Here are some organizations that can help with understanding mental health:
And so you can get an idea how regular people live with tough problems every day, here are a few blogs I've found helpful, touching, thought-provoking, etc. They are just people doing the best they can and it takes great courage to share such personal things with the world. But if it helps them or others I'm happy to have the opportunity to read them and share them - they are an inspiration.
No comments:
Post a Comment