• Home
  • About Me
    • My Bio
    • Sponsor Info
    • Giveaways
    • My Other Freelance Writing
    • Video Hello
    • blogging advice
  • Love + Relationships
    • Dating
    • Engagements
    • Letters to my future husband
    • Love Lounge
    • marriage
    • Memo To Men
    • Open Letters
    • Singlehood
    • virginity
    • Weddings
  • Fashion + Style
    • beauty
    • do or don’t
    • fashion
    • hair
    • jewelry
    • men’s fashion
    • women’s fashion
  • Art + Design
    • art
    • design
    • dream home
    • flowers
    • illustration
    • Photographs
    • posters
    • tattoos
    • typography
  • Disability Dialogue
    • body image
    • Dating
    • Dating With Disabilities
    • depression
    • disabilities in the media
    • Disability
  • Life + Leisure
    • babies
    • birthday
    • books
    • dream vacation
    • Entertainment and Media
    • etsy love
    • family
    • food
    • gift guide
    • holidays
    • In The Pursuit of Happiness
    • link love
    • magazines
    • Man Candy
    • movies
    • music
    • peek inside
    • Shopping
    • TV
    • would you rather

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

World Mental Health Day: End the Stigma

World Mental Health DayI know we usually talk music on Tuesdays, but I want to get serious today for one very special and important reason: It’s World Mental Health Day…

I’ve always been a firm believer in talking openly and honestly about this often-taboo subject. Yes, I’ve battled depression and anxiety. Yes, I’ve been hospitalized for it. No, I’m NOT ashamed.

Mental illness is one of the most stigmatized and misunderstood illnesses in the world. It strikes everyone — young, old, rich, poor — and it doesn’t discriminate. It’s not going to go away because you’re “strong” or because mental illness doesn’t “happen to people like you.” If only things in life were that simple.

So we try to understand it, try to wrap our minds around these afflictions of the mind and try to find a simple, go-to explanation — something that will cure it once and for all. And when we realize nothing is ever that easy when it comes to mental illness? We start throwing around phrases that are decidedly unhelpful and downright damaging: “Just get over it.” “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” “You have no reason to be sad or anxious.”

Honestly, it’s these kinds of statements make me realize just how much work needs to be done to change things and to end that stigma because mental illness IS a physical illness. The worst thing you can say to someone struggling with a mental illness is to just get over it or buck up. That’s not how it works, unfortunately. So, please, educate yourself because I can guarantee you that mental illness will touch you at some point in your life, whether it’s you or a loved one. And just like a physical illness, people can’t get through something like depression or anxiety or OCD without the love and support of their loved ones.

We can all do our part to END THE STIGMA — today, tomorrow and forever. Here are some past pieces I’ve written on mental health…

•  “In Which I Have Some Deep Thoughts on Therapy”

•  “5 Things I’ve Learned About Depression In 5 Years”

•  “Wise Words on Crying”

•  “On Facing My Depression”

•  “How To Support A Loved One With PTSD — From Someone Who Has It”

•  “An Open Letter To Fellow Suicide Survivors On World Mental Health Day”

World Mental Health DayWhat words of wisdom do you have for dealing with a mental illness, friends? What can we do to be more supportive? If you’re struggling, please remember that YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE WORTH IT. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I love you!!! xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

1 Comment Filed Under: anxiety, depression, Disability

Related Posts

  • Love Lounge: My First Dating Do?Love Lounge: My First Dating Do?
  • My Essay on Stylist: “You Might Hate That ‘Imperfect’ Selfie, But Here’s Why You Should Share It Anyway”
  • I Could Be The Next Carrie Bradshaw – With A Sexy TwistI Could Be The Next Carrie Bradshaw – With A Sexy Twist
  • Sick Day!

Comments

  1. shelly sitzer says

    Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    It is amazing how many people suffer from some kind of mental affliction. Even our own daughter has walked a difficult path because of her schitzophrenia. So take heart, anyone out there who has suffered. You are not alone.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

So About What I Said is a daily blog that covers relationships, disabilities, lifestyle and pop culture. I love to laugh and have been known to overshare. I also have an unabashed obsession with pop music, polo shirts, and PEZ dispensers. Read more...

Let's Be Friends
Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Bloglovin
RSS

Contact Me
Subscribe by Email

About Us

dotted lineAbout Us
archive

Archives

So About What I Said © 2023 · Design by Maiedae · Development by High Note Designs

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.