💗 Takeaway 💗

Hi everyone! ♡

For those of you who may not know me yet, my name is Lex, and I'm a listener here on 7 Cups. I absolutely love being part of this community and having the opportunity to connect with people, offer a little kindness, and hopefully make someone feel a little less alone in whatever they're going through.

Being a listener means so much more to me than simply being someone who responds to messages. It means creating a safe space where people can show up exactly as they are. A space where you don't have to pretend, explain every little thing, or feel ashamed of what you're struggling with.

And today, I wanted to talk about something that I think so many of us can relate to. Something that doesn't always get talked about enough.

♡ The parts of ourselves that mental health struggles take away. ♡

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🌧️ the quiet struggles nobody sees

Sometimes, struggling with your mental health is so much more than having a bad day.

It's waking up exhausted before the day has even begun. It's trying to convince yourself to get out of bed when everything inside you wants to stay there. It's feeling overwhelmed by things that once seemed so simple.

It's wanting to explain how you're feeling but not knowing where to begin.

It's smiling when someone asks if you're okay because explaining the truth feels too exhausting. It's laughing with your friends while carrying thoughts and feelings that nobody knows about. It's being surrounded by people and still feeling incredibly alone.

And sometimes, it's not even knowing why you're struggling.

You can have people who love you, things to look forward to, and moments that should make you happy, yet still feel like something inside you is hurting.

Mental health struggles can be so confusing because they don't always make sense to the people around us. And sometimes, they don't even make sense to us.

We try to cope. We try to push through. We try to remind ourselves that things could be worse.

But just because someone else's pain looks different from ours doesn't mean our pain isn't real.

You can be grateful for your life and still be struggling to live it.

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🥀 the things we lose along the way

I think one of the hardest parts of struggling with your mental health is realizing just how much it can take from you.

And not always in ways that other people notice.

Sometimes, it takes away your confidence.

You begin questioning yourself, your worth, your abilities, and whether you're truly enough. You start second-guessing the things you once felt certain about. You become so used to criticizing yourself that you forget what it feels like to be kind to yourself.

Sometimes, it takes away your joy.

Things that once made you excited don't feel the same anymore. Hobbies become difficult. Your favorite activities feel like obligations. You find yourself going through the motions of life, wondering where the excitement and happiness you once had went.

Sometimes, it takes away your relationships.

Not because you don't love people, but because you're struggling to show up for them. You cancel plans. You stop replying. You withdraw because you don't have the energy to explain what's happening inside your head.

And then comes the guilt.

The guilt of not being the friend you want to be. The guilt of feeling distant from people you love. The guilt of needing support when you feel like you should be able to handle things yourself.

Sometimes, it takes away your sense of identity.

You begin wondering who you are outside of your struggles. You look back at old pictures and remember a version of yourself who felt different. You miss the person you used to be, even when you can't quite explain what has changed.

You miss the little things.

The way you used to laugh without thinking about it. The way you used to make plans without feeling overwhelmed. The way you used to look forward to things. The way you used to feel comfortable being yourself.

And perhaps one of the most heartbreaking parts is that you can begin grieving someone who is still here.

Yourself.

You grieve the parts of you that feel lost. You grieve the opportunities you missed, the memories you couldn't fully enjoy, and the experiences you were too overwhelmed to take part in.

You grieve the time spent simply trying to survive when you wanted so desperately to live.

And sometimes, you don't even realize how much you've lost until you stop for a moment and look back.

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🫂 the loneliness of struggling

Mental health struggles can be incredibly isolating.

Because how do you explain something that you can barely understand yourself?

How do you tell someone that you're exhausted when you've spent the entire day doing things that don't look particularly exhausting?

How do you explain that you're hurting when you're still managing to smile?

How do you ask for help when you're afraid of being a burden?

Sometimes, we become so good at hiding our struggles that people genuinely don't realize how much we're hurting.

We become the people who check on everyone else. The people who offer comfort, encouragement, and kindness. The people who make sure everyone around them feels seen.

But when it comes to ourselves, we struggle to admit that we need the same things.

We tell people we're fine because we don't want to worry them. We stay quiet because we don't want to be misunderstood. We keep things to ourselves because we've learned that not everyone knows how to hold the parts of us that are hurting.

And sometimes, the hardest thing isn't being alone.

It's feeling alone while surrounded by people.

It's wishing someone would notice that you're not quite yourself. It's hoping someone will ask twice when you say you're okay. It's wanting someone to understand that you're trying, even when your trying doesn't look like much from the outside.

If that's you, I hope you know that you don't have to earn kindness by being okay.

You don't have to be productive to deserve rest.

You don't have to hide your pain to make other people comfortable.

And you don't have to have the perfect words to deserve to be heard.

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🌸 a little reminder for anyone struggling

I know that mental health struggles can make it feel like you've lost so much of yourself.

But I hope you remember that the parts of you that feel lost are not necessarily gone forever.

You are still worthy of love, even on the days when you don't recognize yourself.

You are still deserving of friendship, even when you don't have the energy to be present.

You are still deserving of happiness, even when happiness feels far away.

And you are still you, even when your mental health makes it difficult to feel that way.

Healing isn't always about becoming the person you were before everything became difficult.

Sometimes, it's about learning to love the person you are now. It's about finding little pieces of yourself again. It's about allowing yourself to change, to grow, to rest, and to take things one day at a time.

And sometimes, it's simply about making it through today.

That counts, too. ♡

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💭 a question for you...

I'd really love to hear from anyone who feels comfortable sharing.

What has your mental health taken from you that people don't realize?

Maybe it's your confidence. Maybe it's your relationships, your happiness, your motivation, or your ability to enjoy the little things.

Maybe it's a part of yourself that you miss dearly.

Or maybe it's something that you've never felt comfortable talking about before.

Whatever your answer may be, I hope you know that this is a space where your feelings matter.

You don't have to share anything you're not comfortable with. But if you do choose to share, I hope you'll know that someone is listening. ♡

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🌷 A little reminder from Lex: 🌷

My PMs are always open.

Whether you're having a difficult day, feeling overwhelmed, struggling with something you can't quite put into words, or simply wanting someone to talk to, I'm only ever a message away.

And even if you don't have anything heavy to share...

Even if you just want to say hi, tell me about your day, or have a little chat...

I'm always here. ♡

You don't have to be struggling to reach out, and you don't have to have the perfect words.

Sometimes, a simple hello is enough to begin.

Sending so much love and kindness to everyone who needs a little extra today. You matter more than you know. 🌸

With love, Lex ♡

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