Let's be serious... (for a moment)
#anxiety #depression #mentalillness… we’ve seen these on social media, right?
Well, let’s talk about this for a moment here, shall we?
We experience so many feelings during our lifetime, and these come and go for several reasons. There are feelings that linger just a little longer than we would like them to. Also, there are some feelings we wish would last for much longer, but they don’t.
It could be that we have fallen in love, or our heart was broken. It could be the birth of a child, infertility, or the loss of a loved one. It could be a hormonal phase, a hormonal imbalance, PMS, a difficult situation or just work-related stress. Whatever it is, or whatever combination of any of these, we’ve all experienced some sort of roller-coaster of emotions on the same day, week or month. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean we can diagnose ourselves with suffering from a mental illness.
Mental illnesses linger for longer than just a few days, unfortunately, and they should be taken seriously. It is not something to be brushed off or ignored.
For those of you suffering from anxiety, depression, or any other mental or psychological condition, please remember that you are not alone. I know for a fact that this doesn’t either make you feel better nor it takes away the loneliness you feel. However, it’s just a reminder that there are others around you who understand a lot of what you are going through.
Here are some things your friends or family members who are going through any of these would like you to know:
We didn’t choose to have this.
No, it’s not always short-lived.
If I could ignore it, I would.
Yes, I need you.
Be nice. Make believe for a second it was you.
Yes, I’m smiling here, now, but I’m not faking my sadness. We have happy moments because you are there with us. Keep it up… please!
I’m not whining, I’m venting because I thought you might understand.
We do not want to depend on pills to feel happy, we would like friends to help us with that instead.
I feel lonely and I don’t want to be rejected if I reach out, or feel that I’m bothering you. Can you reach out to me instead?
I also want to be happy.
The way I express my feelings comes from the way my brain is working right now. And no, I don’t like it either.
Yes, I’m always tired because my brain doesn’t turn off and I can barely sleep. I hate it too.
If I don’t talk to you it’s probably because I don’t know what to say. I don’t feel like I have much to talk about.
Reading? Yes, I’ve tried that… It didn’t work, it’s not a person.
I would LOVE to do things alone but it doesn’t make me feel better because I always feel lonely.
There are many other things that can be said, or felt, but the reality is that rejection and misunderstanding are not things that help someone in this position. We feel lonely most of the time but we also don’t want to interfere with someone’s life or feel like a burden to anyone. We isolate, and this is very dangerous because, although we are not talking to anyone, our brain is talking to us and that brain can be very mean. Our thoughts are not usually happy thoughts and they can lead to many bad decisions that we would’ve not considered at any other time in our lives.
I encourage everyone to look for more information in this subject, and seek professional help if you feel you need it.
Sadness is not the only feeling reflected from these conditions. Things like anger, frustration, stress, isolation, and many others, could come as a result of a mental or psychological condition.
Be nice, be mindful and be respectful!
….What other helpful tips can you give someone who wants to help, or be around, people with mental illness?
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