Mental Health, Why Not Talk About It?

It seems to be one of those scary topics. Don't talk about it too much, especially if you're effected by it. God forbid. But really, we are all immensely effected by mental health. We all have brains, we all go through ups and downs. We all have our struggles. Some people are able to bounce back easier, quicker, better than others. But that also doesn't mean you don't have your private struggles. Mental health is such a broad term. As I've been writing and editing one of my newest books, I have dedicated an entire chapter to it. 

I always understood, from a young age it's okay to struggle. It's okay to have problems and need help with dealing with them. I was never taught to frown upon getting help, like therapy or needing medication. In fact, I literally loved therapy. I recall having a conversation a few years ago with my sister about therapy. We were discussing relationships and you know, dare I say it (sex!) and she said to me "there's no way you tell your therapist all of this". I said why not? I tell him everything. I tell him so much, that he probably needs to see a therapist after he sees me! LOL. I've never seen the shame in reaching out and getting answers that maybe I can't find on my own. 

Through high school years, I only had Facebook and MySpace. In college Twitter and Instagram was introduced with everything else like Vine, Snapchat, Tumblr to follow. I feel incredibly blessed to be the last generation to have gone through high school without all the social media rage. With my personality, I think I would have been having anxiety attacks daily and a terrible self esteem. Now, it's an entirely new ball game. Students now have the world at their fingertips at all times. And with all the amazing benefits comes so many negatives, like anything in life. I should also clarify, with social media especially, you don't need to be a kid to be negatively effected by it. Social media is an amazing tool, but more times then not, it can also be so damaging. We live in a world that tells you on a daily basis that who you are isn't good enough. So my biggest question is, why aren't we talking about it more? 

When you are beginning to feel the weight of the world, talk about it. Something you might find so minuscule might be so huge for someone else. We all get effected by things differently. Make sure you're checking up on your friends and family. Make sure you're having the conversations. Mental health as a whole can be a slippery slope. We can all be so good at hiding what's really going on in our lives. Be that person who reaches out. Be the one who helped stop that anxiety attack. Be the shoulder to cry on, when they feel like no one else is there. Being there is so much more than we sometimes realize. 

I've become so passionate about this topic, which is why I dedicated a paragraph to it, mainly because I feel I have been so blessed with people being there for me. During some of my darkest moments, I have had friends and family members pick me back up. Without them I do wonder where I would be. I'm grateful that I was introduced to therapy and knew it was okay to get help when I needed it. So many people in our world, not so far from you are struggling. It could be the cashier at the supermarket, your waitress at dinner, your classmate, your coworker, your parent. You are never too far away from touching someones life and making their day better. Pass on a smile today, lend a helping hand and be a part of the solution.