Real Colored Glasses

Society is so strange about mental health. There is so much stigma around mental illness and getting help. Why is it so acceptable to go to the doctor for your physical illnesses but not mental illnesses? Because for years and years society has told us that it is wrong or bad to be mentally ill. Mental illness is real. Depression, Anxiety, BPD, ADHD, SAD, Bulimia, Anorexia, Body Dysmorphia, Schizophrenia, etc. are all real. It is enough of a struggle to deal with mental illness but adding in society's stigma around mental illness is an extra weight no-one needs.

Therapy is helpful. Medication is helpful. Support is helpful. Yet it is so hard to find for a lot of people struggling. Society and social media do such a great job at showing the positive side of everyone's lives and having a filter that can make everything look "rose colored" that it has caused us to all be afraid to show that we are humans with real feelings, emotions, and illnesses. This has only led into the mindset that has been drilled into so many of our brains - "Oh, you're tougher that that, brush the dirt off and keep going." The world needs real colored glasses. To see things as they are. To want for a greater good.

I asked people on my Instagram/Facebook stories to tell me toxic replies that they have gotten when opening up about mental health. Below are the answers. We deserve better. We deserve help. We deserve a non-judgmental world.

"Could be worse"

"Your life is so great, how can you be depressed?"

"Everyone has bad days, it'll get better"

"Do you really need meds?"/"Do you really want to depend on meds to make you feel happy?"

"Just stop worrying"

"Why don't you just think about happy things?"

"You're just being dramatic"

"You must be hormonal/on your period"

"Just calm down"

"Just relax"

"Oh, you'll feel better tomorrow"

"Well you don't seem sad"

"You were fine yesterday!"

"I feel like I have to be careful what I say around you now"

"Trust God, he will make things better"

"Start working out and It'll go away"

"It's not that bad"

"I'm sorry I made you like this" (from a parent)

"Others are going through worse"

"I don't know why it is such a trend in recent years"

"There are other ways to deal with it, you don't need to take medicine"

"A lot of it is mindset, just don't overthink everything"

"Don't let it bother you"

"We aren't meant to be on medicine long term, you should start to think about how you are going to deal with this once you start to wean yourself off."

"We all get stressed you just have to breathe through it"

You are worth the work. Put in the time for yourself. Advocate for yourself. Don't be afraid to say no. Set healthy boundaries. Ask for help. Educate those that provide the above results if you have the brain space and energy. End the stigma.

Stay Wild,

Vic

Mental Health Resources:

National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/NAMI-HelpLine/Top-HelpLine-Resources

National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255

Online Counseling and Medication Resources: BetterHelp, TalkSpace, Cerebral