From the Heart of One
Although I write a lot about mental health and so far have been told by numerous people that I have written and or talked about it too much, it has only made me realize how little it is talked about. My goal is to continue to touch on the subject as much as I can, because no matter what, it will be seen as an inconvenience for some, and not a serious matter. From the heart of one to another, voices must be heard. From me to you, we must take it as seriously as we can. Because at the end of the day, you never know who will be taken next by the lurker that is mental illness.
The way that mental health seems to be an inconvenience for some people, is quite confusing. Mental health should not be something you should shove off because your life is so busy already. You must settle down to realize that you need your own time to breathe. We tend to think that mental issues will pass, “it’s okay, I always get like this.”, but have you ever stopped to wonder why? Ignoring is not curing. Ignorance isn’t always bliss. So far as time has gone forward, as much as we like to think we have pushed mental health to the top of our lists, it has actually gotten TOO normalized. Not in the sense that, “it’s normal to not feel pleasant”, but in the way that we tend to generalize the feelings that go along with mental illnesses. We have done so in such a way that it becomes part of our daily language and phrases. “Are you doing okay?” with a reply like, “Yeah, I was just feeling a little depressed for a few days, but the sadness went away.” This might not sound like a real conversation, but there are many taken like so. We cannot generalize the words associated with mental health, because that is then when people who are really struggling. With the normality of these phrases, it makes so many feel that they cannot speak, because they will be told “everyone gets a little depressed here and there, it will pass.” But that is not the feeling. It’s not something we can tell ourselves will ever go away, because we never know.
The way that we cannot be sure that these effects of mental illnesses will go away, we can also never be sure of who this will affect. Never depend on the unknown. This is when it develops. The signs of mental illnesses begin to slowly show up as we continue to grow as teens. Which within itself is so dangerous. The teenage mind is so fragile even up until the age of 25. The mind is at a constant rate of development. Those who suffer from trauma in their early lives, are more likely to develop said mental illnesses. Those stuck in poverty, in a single-parent household, or in any dramatic or significant change in their young lives are more likely to suffer from mental illness. As a teenager growing up, we don’t truly understand that the situations we come across in our young adolescent years really shape us. Whether we place ourselves in situations that we shouldn’t be in or situations are forced upon us that we shouldn’t be in. Continuing to constantly change our paths in life, we don’t realize that all of the effects from the trauma, all of those situations that were brought upon us, are awaiting us in our adulthood. The signs are here but ignored, only to bite us when it’s too late. This can happen to anyone, the pain from mental health. Anyone, twelve years old, eighteen years old, thirty-five years old, fifty years old. No matter who or where it’s lurking further and further into our world.
Mental illnesses affect anyone with blood flowing through their bodies. DON’T normalize mental illness. Because that is when we know we have lost to it. It’s a losing battle when you never protect yourself. DON’T normalize mental illnesses in ONLY a specific group of people. DON’T normalize and generalize the feelings of emptiness, sadness, and effects of trauma. When we do such things, we do not fully recognize the dangers behind them. As the years go by, the national average rate of suicide continues to climb higher and higher. Let it be known that mental health affects men. The fact that it must be made clear that men can also suffer is surprising. Our society has this idea that men must divert themselves from feeling normal human feelings and stay strong, only to suffer with their problems on their own, or they will not be taken seriously. Let it be known that parents suffer from mental health battles and that a mother or a father is trying to stay strong for their family. Let it be known that students struggle with mental health battles. Every day, there is something in our path to healthy and orderly adulthood. As much as it has improved to get young adults to learn, that doesn’t mean that the help is there for the students themselves. Place the student apart from the child. Learn to listen, care, and help those who truly need it. Be diligent.
At the end of the day, as we top it off, as always, learn to care, not assume. As it lurks through families all across the world, there must be something further done to prevent the dangers of mental illnesses. You never know if your best friend is struggling, your sibling, your mother, your father, or your teacher. So be kind. I will never know what you are going through, and you will never know what I am going through. We must understand that to care for others means respecting a person who may have aspects in their lives that you will never know about. So be someone who cares, someone who can be a shoulder for those who need it, a person who is just compassionate about those around them. So, from the heart of someone who has lost a loved one from their own mental battles, please, check in on them. It’s worth the time and effort.
