You Matter
May is Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM), which aims to bring awareness to mental health struggles and assist in providing resources and information to support individuals and communities who need support.
For many, many years mental health struggles have been stigmatized and individuals who speak about their issues have been ostracized and isolated.
Every year we make steps towards silencing that mentality and bringing space for individuals to speak up and speak out FREELY about their experiences.
What is mental health?
Mental health is an integral part of our well-being and ability to function. Our mental health has many hands in who we are as humans: How we think, feel and act. How our brain operates. How we manage stressors. How we show up for ourselves and others. How we connect in relationships. How we function and grow. How we self-soothe, cope and relax.
Similar to the way our physical health can endure injury or illness our mental health can endure debilitating anxiety, trauma flashbacks, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, etc. Mental health struggles can make it difficult for us to execute the above.
Mental health looks different for everyone as we are all different humans with different experiences who have all been dealt different hands in life.
The mental health struggles are part of the human experience that is often not talked about, despite our knowledge of how incredibly important our mental health is for our ability to function.
Why talk about it?
Simply put:
YOU MATTER.
Your mental health matters.
Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
A lot of us at certain points in our life, whether due to systems, family dynamics, society, work place expectations, cultural experiences, have been advised to keep personal struggles and difficulties close to the heart.
Why?
The belief behind this thought is that we don’t want others to judge, criticize, or think negatively of us for having human reactions to experiences that we have endured, situations that we currently find ourselves in, or for the chemical make up of our brain that was genetically handed to us.
What we are left with is the premise that it is better to suffer silently.
It is better to not let anyone know what’s really happening.
It is better to keep people at a distance.
It is better to continue putting on our mask.
When we give messages that say an individual's struggles are uncomfortable to others, we indicate that an individual’s suffering is inconvenient, inappropriate, and too much. We give the impression that it is easier and preferable if they suffer in silence.
But, it isn’t.
I repeat:
YOU MATTER.
Your mental health matters.
Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
It’s really tough to unlearn the narratives passed down about what it means to have mental health struggles, or what it means to be human. You aren’t too much, you aren’t crazy, you aren’t psycho, you aren’t any of the derogatory language that has been utilized when speaking about individuals who have mental health struggles.
Whatever you’re silently battling is heavy. You place all your thoughts, emotions, demons, and struggles into a backpack that you shoulder alone.
You’re tired.
You’re exhausted.
You’re scared.
And this is why we talk about it.
You don’t have to shoulder any hardship alone.
You don’t have to endure pain alone.
From a therapeutic perspective, talking out loud about our struggles can create a sense of belonging, relief and comfort. Talking out loud allows for processing, understanding and clarity to occur. Talking out loud creates an opportunity for you to learn how to care for yourself and your needs. All things that you deserve to feel and experience.
I am so incredibly sorry if you are someone who has endured pain silently. You deserved space to feel seen and heard. You deserved space to grieve loudly. You deserved time to heal wounds that others couldn’t see. You deserved the ability to find resources and support.
I know how scary it can be to start openly talking about mental health struggles. I also know how freeing it can feel to allow people the opportunity to understand who I am. You deserve this opportunity as well.
Per the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 1 in 5 adults struggle with mental health issues. One by one we slowly break the stigma and encourage the world to give space to those who are struggling.
Space.
Support.
Comfort.
Warmth.
Patience.
Love.
A voice.
Previously, you may not have felt confident or safe to talk about your struggles. You also may not have known how to take care of yourself when under so much distress. The more that we step into our story with ownership and bold stature, we can create space for others to do the same.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, I want you to remember the quote:
”When we recover loudly, we keep others from dying quietly.” - Unknown.
Whether this month brings awareness, triumph or struggle, know that support is always available. Be Counseling is here to provide a safe and supportive space for your journey. If you’re ready to reflect and heal, reach out – I’d love to walk this path with you.
Additional resources include:
Support Groups
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Houston
SAMHSA: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration
re:MIND: Depression & Bipolar Support
ERC: Eating Recovery Center
Podcasts
We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle & Abby Wambach
The Happiness Lab by Dr. Laurie Santos
Therapy for Black Girls by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
The Anxious Truth by Drew Linsalata
Books
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There by Tara Schuster
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT
Misc.
988 Crisis Line
Psychology Today
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
