Mental Health Awareness Week: Is it enough to speak out Online?
Hey All!
If you have been on Facebook, Instagram or maybe even Snapchat this week you will have noticed that the 14th to the 20th of May is Mental Health Awareness Week. Of course I absolutely love the idea of Mental Health Awareness Week! I'm more than happy to be an advocate for anything that encourages people to talk about their mental wellbeing and maybe even seek help. However, this year I've been struggling with what to post online, hence I have procrastinated this very blog post until Sunday evening.
The reason I've been struggling to know what to say that my annual social media post sometimes heavily contrasts my approach to discussing my own mental health in person. Every year I post something on social media, this year my blog, about my own struggles with mental health issues (especially anxiety) and of course I talk about you need not struggle alone, how if you reach out there will be someone in this world who wants to listen and hopefully help make things a little easier. Of course, I believe every word of these posts. It is my true belief that we need to talk in order to destigmatise mental health and that it is always a positive choice to seek help. I still have anxiety but seeking support has at least armed me with techniques and networks to better face it.
Evidently my issues with these annual posts then is not their validity, I mean it when I say that I believe every word I write in these statuses and descriptions. My concern is rather how they present my own ability to deal with and discuss my own problems beyond the keyboard. Anyone who knows me in real life will be able to tell you that I actually really struggle to talk about my emotions and I often hate talking about how I am doing in any context except how I have enjoyed the day's activities. Nearly always in conversations I will try to keep the topics to fact rather than feeling, preferring to discuss things that have happened or interesting things I know. Obviously within certain situations this is a skill I have had to improve in order make the progress that I have in terms of my anxiety. However, moving to university and interacting with new people, some of whom are now some of my closest friends, has made it clear to me just how much I can struggle to open up. Even though my closest uni friends hopefully know how much I value and care about them I can still struggle with those vunerable and emotive chats about my feelings, with some friends back home still relying upon number systems to fully gage how I am. I'm not saying that things are terrible right now but sometimes, just like many people, I am not as 'fine' as I say I am. This is healthy and when combined with anxiety disorder it means that sometimes I have a really crappy day. The problem is not that I am feeling anxious or sad but rather that I am not yet as good at talking about it as I would like to be, something that can frustrate those around me but I'm sure frustrates me even more.
So why are the posts easier. Often my annual post is more so about past struggles that I have overcome or is focused upon motivating others around me. Sometimes it is simply advocacy for speaking up and that is totally fine. It is also incredibly true that it is always easier to talk to a screen than a person. Comments can be super mean but I would much rather deal with a nasty comment than someone being nasty to my face (just personally), plus with social media you can spend hours perfecting exactly what you want to say and how you want your words to come across to others. In real life you can't enjoy the luxury of the back space button. But are these things absolute positives or potential barriers?
Why am I writing this? I am in no way attempting to glamorise bottling things up. Over the years too often has mental illness has been romantisied by some, promoting the keep it all in because pain is beautiful approach. Mental illness is not beautiful and if you are struggling it is always better to share with someone who can help you and who you can hopefully trust to support you. I am also in no way knocking the annual Mental Health Awareness Week post, I think it's an awesome idea! Your post may make someone else feel less alone, encourage a friend to seek help or it might just be a positive release for you, and that's enough of a reason. I guess what I saying is that the Facebook posts and tweets are amazing but they are just one part of an even bigger amazing concept, which is the belief that we need to talk more about mental health. So what I encourage people to do is write a post if they want to but maybe also talk to someone in person, or message a friend or seek professional support if you think you might benefit you. Your post on social media may help many, many people but talking to the right person in real life just might help you. We need not confide the self care and mental health revolutions to the Online World, they should be part of our real worlds too.
It's never too late to open up and seek support. All month is Mental Health Awareness Month and all year is a great time to seek support or self care.
Sending you much love this Mental Health Awareness Week.
See you later Alligators!
Freya x
PICTURE SORCE: https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/mental-health-awareness-week-2018/
If you have been on Facebook, Instagram or maybe even Snapchat this week you will have noticed that the 14th to the 20th of May is Mental Health Awareness Week. Of course I absolutely love the idea of Mental Health Awareness Week! I'm more than happy to be an advocate for anything that encourages people to talk about their mental wellbeing and maybe even seek help. However, this year I've been struggling with what to post online, hence I have procrastinated this very blog post until Sunday evening.
The reason I've been struggling to know what to say that my annual social media post sometimes heavily contrasts my approach to discussing my own mental health in person. Every year I post something on social media, this year my blog, about my own struggles with mental health issues (especially anxiety) and of course I talk about you need not struggle alone, how if you reach out there will be someone in this world who wants to listen and hopefully help make things a little easier. Of course, I believe every word of these posts. It is my true belief that we need to talk in order to destigmatise mental health and that it is always a positive choice to seek help. I still have anxiety but seeking support has at least armed me with techniques and networks to better face it.
Evidently my issues with these annual posts then is not their validity, I mean it when I say that I believe every word I write in these statuses and descriptions. My concern is rather how they present my own ability to deal with and discuss my own problems beyond the keyboard. Anyone who knows me in real life will be able to tell you that I actually really struggle to talk about my emotions and I often hate talking about how I am doing in any context except how I have enjoyed the day's activities. Nearly always in conversations I will try to keep the topics to fact rather than feeling, preferring to discuss things that have happened or interesting things I know. Obviously within certain situations this is a skill I have had to improve in order make the progress that I have in terms of my anxiety. However, moving to university and interacting with new people, some of whom are now some of my closest friends, has made it clear to me just how much I can struggle to open up. Even though my closest uni friends hopefully know how much I value and care about them I can still struggle with those vunerable and emotive chats about my feelings, with some friends back home still relying upon number systems to fully gage how I am. I'm not saying that things are terrible right now but sometimes, just like many people, I am not as 'fine' as I say I am. This is healthy and when combined with anxiety disorder it means that sometimes I have a really crappy day. The problem is not that I am feeling anxious or sad but rather that I am not yet as good at talking about it as I would like to be, something that can frustrate those around me but I'm sure frustrates me even more.
So why are the posts easier. Often my annual post is more so about past struggles that I have overcome or is focused upon motivating others around me. Sometimes it is simply advocacy for speaking up and that is totally fine. It is also incredibly true that it is always easier to talk to a screen than a person. Comments can be super mean but I would much rather deal with a nasty comment than someone being nasty to my face (just personally), plus with social media you can spend hours perfecting exactly what you want to say and how you want your words to come across to others. In real life you can't enjoy the luxury of the back space button. But are these things absolute positives or potential barriers?
Why am I writing this? I am in no way attempting to glamorise bottling things up. Over the years too often has mental illness has been romantisied by some, promoting the keep it all in because pain is beautiful approach. Mental illness is not beautiful and if you are struggling it is always better to share with someone who can help you and who you can hopefully trust to support you. I am also in no way knocking the annual Mental Health Awareness Week post, I think it's an awesome idea! Your post may make someone else feel less alone, encourage a friend to seek help or it might just be a positive release for you, and that's enough of a reason. I guess what I saying is that the Facebook posts and tweets are amazing but they are just one part of an even bigger amazing concept, which is the belief that we need to talk more about mental health. So what I encourage people to do is write a post if they want to but maybe also talk to someone in person, or message a friend or seek professional support if you think you might benefit you. Your post on social media may help many, many people but talking to the right person in real life just might help you. We need not confide the self care and mental health revolutions to the Online World, they should be part of our real worlds too.
It's never too late to open up and seek support. All month is Mental Health Awareness Month and all year is a great time to seek support or self care.
Sending you much love this Mental Health Awareness Week.
See you later Alligators!
Freya x
PICTURE SORCE: https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/mental-health-awareness-week-2018/
Comments
Post a Comment