I feel like I talk a lot about mental heath. I like to use my platforms to break stereotypes and disarm judgements about people who have mental health. I like to write about my anxiety a lot, because I think recognizing that it is there is important- sometimes the most important thing about facing it.
Mental health is like the elephant in the room. You know that phrase, right? How there is something something that people just don’t like to talk about? Mental health is that so many of the time. It is like the big elephant in the room. No one wants to talk about it because for so long it was such a taboo topic.
Did you know that 1 in 5 people in the United States have a mental health disorder?
Did you know that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in people ages 10-34 in the United States?
Did you know that an estimated 48 million people in the world have anxiety disorder?
How is this not being talked about more? How have we not realized how important a cure or treatment is for this?
Mental illnesses are debilitating. They take amazing people and turn them into unrecognizable people by even themselves and those they love. They cause people to self-medicate to make the pain stop. Mental health is just as important as physical well-being.
Maybe you are reading this and you don’t have a mental disorder so you’re wondering what this has to do with you. I guarantee that someone you love has a mental disorder. Someone you know has contemplated suicide, even if you don’t realize. Someone you know suffers from manic episodes. Someone you know thinks every day that they aren’t good enough to be in your life.
So, what can you do? How can we all help each other?
- Let them know you are there for them. This may seem so simplistic but most of the time, people who suffer from a mental illness feel alone or like no one even cares what they are going through.
- Be accountable. So many mental illnesses stem from a change in routine or life that throws someone off balance. Be accountable. Do what you say you are going to go and stick to it.
- If this person has children, offer to help with them. Offer up babysitting time or to come over and help do laundry and dishes.
- Show kindness all the time. You may not know what they are going through, but you can be kind. Sometimes that all someone needs.
Mental illness does exist in our world. They are not going away. They are maybe even going to get worse. If you suffer from a mental disorder I want you to know this:
- You are important.
- You are valuable.
- Your life MATTERS.
- You will be okay.
- It is okay if all you did today was breathe.
- You are not defined by your mental illness.
The Monarch Mama 