It does not matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what your age is, the color of your skin or your gender. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any friends or are the most popular person around. It does not matter if you are single, engaged, married or even have children.
Mental health does not discriminate. It does not care about any of that. It can affect anyone and any type of person.
I struggle myself, and I also lost my brother to this struggle. I’ve lost friends and family. And almost lost even more.
My brother was not always happy. He was often angry. He had issues beyond his mental health that also did not help his disease. But, he had friends, family and support. He was funny he was an amazing person and was an even more loyal friend. But none of that mattered when he could no longer take the pain of everyday life.
He didn’t know that there were other ways to handle things. He just wanted it to stop, so he took a permanent action to what could have been a temporary issue. If only he would not have been too scared to reach out and if only he knew that there was help available for him.
Now, I tried. I could see he had issues, But my brother didn’t want my help. He thought he had to deal with it on his own because some of his issues were brought on by him and not his chemical imbalance within it. But he didn’t know that. He didn’t understand that mental health isn’t because of you. It’s more than what you can control.
It’s all consuming and can constantly be a burden on your soul. You feel worthless, hopeless, alone.. And no, it’s not reality but it’s what your mind is telling you. It’s telling you that there is no end, no healing, no alternatives. But that’s not true.
But when you’re dealing with these daily thoughts and feelings you forget these things… they get pushed back and your sorrows take control.
These thoughts are way more normal than most actually think. And if you are ever so fortunate not to know what I’m speaking about.. hold on to that. But also listen to what I’m saying and be aware. Because you’re lack of empathy and understanding can also be a reason that so many people feel misunderstood and alone, Even when you tell them that you’re there for them.
Everyone says to check on your friends and loved ones…But if those friends and loved ones are struggling– also understand that they might not respond and engage with you. And that’s not because they don’t want to talk or don’t appreciate you checking on them. It’s because they can’t explain what they are feeling. And don’t want to justify why they feel a certain way to you.
Have you ever thought about someone and thought “Oh, their life can’t be that bad” or “What do they have to be sad about?” …
If you have ever had those thoughts, then you are just helping to justify why so many people struggle alone. We don’t always know what someone is going through and we have no right to judge someone’s thoughts or judge whether they should be sad or not.
Mental health does not care how many great things you have going for you. It can still make you feel like you are not enough, that you’re worthless, You’re a failure, you’re sad, you’re alone.
Mental health is a disease and not something that you can mask with a smile. You can’t control what is happening, but you can get help. And it’s okay to get help or ask for it.
There are people out there that understand, people that empathize, and people that genuinely care. And there are so many more people that want to see you get that help, rather than having to attend your funeral.
When you ask someone “How are you” in conversation… Very rarely do you get a genuine answer from someone. People don’t ask this question because they actually want to know how you are doing. They expect the answer to be the “good and you” response. But what if we stopped the ingenuine conversation, stop masking the feelings and the true thoughts that a lot of us have. Yeah, some people may not be able to handle your thoughts but honestly most people will be able to.
Recently I’ve been struggling more than usual. And one of my best friends is very understanding and often checks on me. She gets what I’m feeling and she empathizes deeply. She said for me to reach out when I’m having a bad day- to let each other know that it’s not a good day and then we can talk about it or just talk about something else. But be there for each other. To let each other know the struggle that we’re going through so that we are not alone. People genuinely care if you let them.
There’s so many people that deal with issues in silence because they feel like they have to. Like they have to take the burden on all by their selves.. But it shouldn’t have to be this way.
Start actually caring about people’s thoughts feelings and emotions. Genuinely ask how people are doing not just for the pitiful small talk. Be kinder, more compassionate, care more and be present if you can.
There’s no reason people have to go through things alone or think that they have to go through things alone.
When people don’t understand that you don’t have to appear sad to have a mental health disease it stunts any growth towards awareness. It can affect anyone, even the happy ones. Learn, understand, empathize and be aware.
Love Hard and Care Deeper