What Do You Wish People Knew About Your Mental Health
What Do You Wish People Knew About Your Mental Health
Living with mental health challenges sadly often means dealing with misconceptions or feeling misunderstood.
If you could tell others just one thing about your experience, what would it be?
Maybe it’s something people get wrong.
Maybe it’s something they never ask.
Maybe it’s what you wish someone had said to you or perhaps something else!
Please share below if you feel comfortable to do so. I look forward to reading your contributions and discussing such an important topic. 🌻
I wish they knew , how much I need social energy , much like oxygen.
When my boundaries aren’t respected I don’t feel heard.
When someone is dishonest this makes it difficult for me to trust them again.
When things don’t go as planned sometimes I question my decisions.
@LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS
- That whenever I forget and let my guard down, I don’t “act on it” and it doesn’t happen on purpose either.
- That I feel so dam lonely trying to mask every single thing.
- That it really isn’t easy, even though it’s not that serious.
I'm my toughest adversary; my self-inflicted wounds run deeper than anything that you could possibly inflict.
You have all been so open and vulnerable sharing what you wish others knew. I think this will be a source of support for those reading to hopefully help them see that they are not alone. Keep sharing and taking care of yourselves🌻
@LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS
"I have bad mental health"doesn't mean I'm crazy
@softcoreemperor
It absolutely doesn't. When you say "I have bad mental health," it communicates that you're facing genuine challenges and struggles, not that you're "crazy."
It makes you hooman! And only means that you're dealing with real thoughts, feelings, and experiences that are difficult to manage, just like someone might deal with a physical illness. It takes a lot of courage to acknowledge that, and it's a far cry from anything that could be dismissed or misunderstood as being "crazy." 💛 Wish more people were more thoughtful in their expression!
That I don't really feel a sense of my own identity, since I've been living for others or drowning my feelings with habits or addictions.
There was never any time to bring up my feelings, since it would never bring anything positive out. Is what my mom would tell me.
I just had to make the hardest choice, by calling the police on my mom. She became too dangerous towards my stepdad, and I couldn't bare to see anymore abuse. My whole family feels lost and unsure of what to do now, and my mom thinks we've all planned this and wanted to betray her.
@EmberShard
My mum was a completely broken person. I'm not sure any amount of therapy/medication would have helped her. She had problems with addiction, was abusive in many ways, and just generally seemed to have a heart of darkness. But she had moments of kindness and clarity. It made me believe she had potential.
I wish I could have helped her but I too was broken. It was out of my control and I was just a child.
You must consider yourself and practice some self-love to heal. Sometimes you need to put yourself first and disconnect from toxicity. In doing so, you open yourself up to serve others later. There isn't much to gain from sacrificing yourself for people who may not be ready to appreciate you.
There is great value in honest reflection, both on your own and collaboratively with others. It can allow you to figure out the best next step.
You're doing well in expressing yourself. Keep it up, there are people that will listen, relate, and give better advice than myself.
I just want people to think that mental health is not considered “crazy”
@jjunie
There's a lot of misunderstanding and assumption surrounding mental health. People don't realise the strength one gains from the struggle. I believe it is the sick that will end up liberating people.
@LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS
I wish people understood the disconnect between the stimuli and my reactions. I know, I'm oddly calm and jolly when *** is raining down on me, and that I'm a skittish mess when my circumstances are normal and stable. I know that I have a tendency to land myself in troublesome circumstances because that's what's familiar to me. I know it stresses out the people that care about me. I know it's ruined my relationships. I know I messed up. I know I keep messing up, and I know that in the future I'll mess up too. Hopefully less, but you get my point.
But the thing is, I didn't choose to be this way. I didn't choose to have these mismatched reactions. I was raised in a household of emotional neglect and physical abuse and financial and familial turmoil. I'm bound to come out of it with a vastly different perspective on life and day-to-day struggles. And I know I tend to have harmful actions and behaviors because of this but dammit, I'm trying to heal. I'm trying to hold a peaceful and loving and safe space for the people I love.
I recently accidentally dropped $15 while I was out to buy lunch for my family (for context, I'm a financially dependent young adult that lives with my parents and my nephew). I hadn't eaten or drunk at all in the 12 hours before this point. I walked around for a couple hours in high-30 degree Celsius heat looking for it, crying and sobbing and considering walking into oncoming traffic before walking into an air conditioned bathroom and passing out. All this over $15. Even my parents (the very people that made me this way) had noted how I had overreacted over what is essentially a minor inconvenience.
But when my education had been delayed only months prior and I was under threat of potentially having to move back to our home country for university (note: I am from an expat family), I was stoic. I was optimistic. I thought, "Well, I'll get through this. Everything will turn out fine. I will not allow this to derail my life. I will not allow this to break the hearts of the people who care about me." And what do you know, I did power through it.
I wish people understood what that was like. To have the same mindset as a veteran coming out of a war. To subconsciously chase the familiarity of calamity, and to fall apart at the smallest thing during calm. I wish people understood how hard I'm trying to be better, to heal from the damage and live a peaceful life with those I love. I wish people understood how complex my issues are and that they were conditioned into me, and I wish they understood how hard it is to have to undo all that conditioning yourself. And I wish they understood that this isn't me. This isn't how I inherently am. Of all the things I don't know about myself, I know this isn't me. I hope they know too. I hope they see better in me.
@neatCar577
I'm pretty similar! When things are hitting the fan, I'm unsettlingly calm, makes others feel I don't care or understand. But if I can't find my cup I start losing it. I get overwhelmed cleaning my room because I don't know how to approach it. But I will be a rock in a house fire.
You may mess up a lot. I mess up daily. But I believe it will happen less and less as you learn and grow, and that process is lifelong (although it ebbs and flows, eventually slowing down). But it's why you see older people being generally calmer than the rest. They've reflected and learned, and it's brought them a sense of inner peace.
I have a lot of faith in you. You're highly reflective and that's only going to serve you. Just keep up telling your story, we can all learn from you friend!
@LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS
What Do You Wish People Knew About Your Mental Health
I wish they could tell that I'm not okay because I don't look okay and I'm really not okay. But they don't care enough to check in on me.