I make no secret of the fact that I have, in the past struggled with depression and self harm. The scars still remain, both physically and mentally. Which is why I feel that #timetotalk day is very important. Talking about mental health is one of the best things we can do. At the moment, too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, ashamed and worthless by other people’s reactions. But talking about mental health doesn’t need to be difficult. It can be as simple as making time to have a cup of tea or go for a walk, and listening to someone talk about how they feel. Being open about mental health and ready to listen can make a positive difference to someone’s life.
“It’s #timetotalk because if you say something, you realise how many people around you haven’t, and needed to”
One of the things I’ve learnt from blogging about my mental health is that I am not alone. So many other bloggers have also experienced similar problems – either in the past or are currently going through something. I don’t understand why people are so dismissive about mental health. Just because you can’t see when someone is ill doesn’t mean they aren’t telling the truth. By getting people to talk about it, it helps to break that stigma that surrounds mental health.
I first suffered with depression as a teen through to my early twenties, and it was also during this time that I self harmed. I shut myself away from everyone, refusing to talk about it. Just constantly saying I was fine, when it was probably very obvious that I wasn’t. I took a very long time to seek help, eventually I discovered an online group also suffering from similar experiences. It was through finding that and talking about it, that I finally went to a doctor and got the help I needed. More recently I thought it was coming back but this time I didn’t hang around. I got myself a doctor’s appointment pretty quick and began talking. If you, or anyone you know suffers from any sort of mental health problems please talk to someone/them. Even if it’s just a quick text/email to say hello it could help. As much as I turned people away, all I actually wanted was for someone to listen, someone to care and help me.
Images from #timetotalk
There is still a lot of stigma attached to Depression and mental diseases. Society has to be more open and accept.