I have anxiety and underlying depression. I expected therapy to awkward and hard at times. I expected my medicine to make me drowsy midday when I really needed to be alert. What I didn't expect was the stigma that surrounds those with mental health problems. I didn't realize that I'd constantly be defending myself for wanting to be mentally healthy. Everyone should have the option to be mentally healthy. Unfortunately, mental health is often overlooked, undiagnosed, and disregarded as "less than" in comparison to physical health. At first, I didn't talk about my anxiety or depression much. I thought it wasn't anyone else's business and I didn't have a reason to talk about it.
I was wrong.
There are a number of reasons to talk about mental health:
1. I am my only advocate. I am the only one that will always be there to support myself in the decisions I make due to my anxiety. I am the only one that can explain what I feel, what I'm going through, why I can or can't do something. I am the only one that has this power.
2. I am a professional. For some reason, it is taboo to speak of mental illness in a professional setting. My mental state affects my work and ability to focus on a daily basis. Sometimes this isn't so bad, but other times I'm so anxious that it's hard to breathe and my brain feels like it's drowning in thoughts that I can't control and I get sick to my stomach. It's the hard days that bosses and professors have a problem with. But why? Why do they see my anxiety as an excuse to miss a day, but they see the flu as a legitimate reason to miss a week? Professionals are often uncomfortable with and are often disbelieving of this. This is why a lot of people try to hide their mental health issues, but this just adds to the stigma. Instead, I talk openly about my mental health to educate my superiors. Education is the only way to stop the stigma.
3. Friends and family are our allies. In the same way that talking about mental health can educate our superiors, it can also educate our family and friends. By doing so, we give our loved ones the power to fight against the stigma with us. Even if this just means that they share some kind of mental health post they see on their Facebook newsfeed, then they are raising awareness. Every little bit counts. Create allies.
4. It helps me. Opening up helps me connect with others that have mental health issues. There is a comradery between people struggling with mental health, and we often try to help each other and build each other up in any way we can. Talking to others helps me feel less lonely and more confident. The more confident I feel in my anxiety, the more confident I help someone else feel with their mental health, the more likely we both are to speak openly elsewhere and fight the stigma.
It can be hard to open up about mental health, but it is essential in fighting the stigma. We are not to be blamed for our mental health. We are not making it up. Mental health is real and everyone lives with it. Stand up against the stigma.
