How to Adult Vol 3: Mental Health
Let'
Let's talk about mental health.
Let'
In my honest opinion, mental health is still viewed a taboo subject. In many types of society, putting your hand up to say "I'm not ok" is often viewed as a sign of weakness. Go to the extreme end of this, and statistics show that self harm and suicide rates are rising year on year.
Everyone has tough times, its part of life. How you deal with it is different. I consider myself phenomenally lucky that I've never had any major mental health issues. However, mental health goes beyond depression. Anxiety, PTSD, post natal depression, anorexia, body dysmorphia, and countless others are forms of mental health issues that many of us face every day.
Although I am no doctor, I too get days when I feel down. And so, I thought I'd use today's How To Adult as an opportunity to give my tips, and maybe they might help some of you!
1. You are not alone.
Life is tough. We are a world of some 7 billion people. Everyone has friends, family, neighbors. If you take one thing from my message, know that you are never ever alone.
2. It's ok to not be ok.
If you feel down or stressed or not yourself, its ok! You are totally allowed to not feel ok! Ive seen people ridicule others for showing that they're feeling not so good, and that's just bs. Saying that you don't feel ok shouldn't be viewed as a sign of weakness or vulnerability. A problem shared is a problem halved, as the old saying goes. So if you don't feel ok, I encourage you to talk to someone.
3. Talk
Although the frequent response to mental health issues is to divert the attention to medication or some sort of substance, its been proven that one of the most effective treatments is just to talk to someone. Tell them how you feel and your concerns. If you're on the receiving end of this, then just listen. You don't have to solve the person's problems, because often, just listening will do more help than you know!
4. Seek professional help
Building on the tip that its ok to not be ok, professional help, either from a medical doctor, therapist or a psychiatrist, is not only ok, but its also not a sign of weakness. If it'll help you get better and feel back to your usual self, then please do it.
5. My personal tips
I have a few ways that I use to help relax when I'm feeling down. These include exercise, music, meditation, reading and being creative (I build things). As mentioned, I'm not a doctor or professional with these things, but I have found certain things that work for me, and I encourage you to seek the same.
In conclusion, I'm sure any of you that read this will probably identify that although I'm not a medical professional, I am a firm supporter of positive mental health. I don't like to see anyone struggle with their mental health, and I hate the taboos that saying I'm not ok is a bad thing. As ever, I hope I can help, and if anybody has any tips of their own, do post them here!
-n
Edit: I didn't mean to repeat myself in the original at the start. Technical difficulties!!