The discussion around mental health has never been more publicized than it is now. It’s on the news practically every night, right? Its amazing how much we’re talking about it. But we’re not. Not really, not to each others. It still seems to be a topic that we all struggle to honestly speak of on a personal level with friends or family. I think we all want to seem as if are ready to openly, honestly, talk about mental health. But we aren’t there yet.
And so I imagine…. What would our mental health as a society be if we treated it as if it were just a physical ailment. Could we talk about depression (or any mental health struggle) as if it were high blood pressure and our approach and discussion on managing it were as normal as the discussion on changing our diet? I imagine the positive impact normalizing mental health could have on individuals. I mean REALLY normalizing it. REALLY acknowledging it, not just playing lip service. It could mean a positive change in our own self-perception….an opportunity to build a sense of courage and confidence in managing it….an ownership that this is real and not a weakness of character.
What’s next? Lets talk. Let’s talk more about deep depression, let’s share more about the intrusiveness of anxious thoughts and the changes we make just to lessen its terror within. Let’s be more real with others, and ourselves. Let’s let ourselves and others be Human.