5 Ways to END the Stigma Against Mental Health
Photography by @shawn_thomson
Hello, Lovelies and Happy Monday!
No…not “Happy Blue Monday” - simply, happy Monday. Today is no different from any other Monday. Sure, there are people who will experience depression today, but guess what? They probably suffer from depression other days as well, not just today.
Today I want to talk about some ways that we can work together to end the stigma against mental health - beginning with starting a conversation about days like “Blue Monday.”
For anyone who doesn’t know, “Blue Monday” is a name assigned to a particular day in January that is supposedly “the most depressing day of the year.” This concept was originally publicized by a travel company (factoring in weather, failed new years resolutions, time since Christmas, travel delays, etc.). There is no scientific support for this concept, and it should not be looked to as factual information.
However, as I discussed in my previous post, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) IS a real mental health condition felt by MANY people. My main hope with this post is to reiterate the importance of spreading mental health awareness and support 365 days a year, not just on a select few days that commercialized companies decide they can profit off of. I KNOW I am sounding super pessimistic here, and I truly do not mean to be, I am just passionate about normalizing mental health conversations and bringing them to an equal concern level as physically detectible illnesses.
*Disclaimer/Friendly Reminder: I am NOT a doctor, psychologist, or any form of Mental Health professional/expert. I am simply a human who has experienced a variety of mental illnesses first-hand and am offering up my personal experiences as an outlet to hopefully help others to better understand mental health at a basic, human level.
SO let’s dive in, shall we?
Educate Yourself
This is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT step of all: educate yourself! It is so easy for us to have thoughts and opinions on subjects that we know nothing (or very little) about. It is okay if you are one of those people… heck, I have done it in the past and so have many people. With social media the way it is in 2020, it has become increasingly popular for people to hop onto bandwagons or “drink the cool-aide” without even really understanding what foundations and beliefs are at the root of the cause they are supporting/speaking out for or against.
There are SO MANY incredible educational resources available at the palm of our hands, so research, research, research!! I urge everyone reading this to visit the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) website. They have endless educational resources available that are produced by experts, so you know you will be getting factual information.
Understand Your Mental Health
Okay, apart from the previous point, THIS is the next most important step: understanding your mental health. Once you have conducted some research on mental health, it is time to flip your gaze inward and reflect on your mental well-being. While conducting your research on mental health, did you notice any signs or symptoms that are present in your life that you had not thought of before? It is SO incredibly important to make time for yourself and prioritize your mental wellness - and unlike popular commercial companies would have you believe - you do not have to spend any money to take care of your self!
Meditating, journaling, stretching, deciding to spend a night in rather than go out with friends - these are all FREE ways that you can take care of your mind and allow yourself to mentally recover from any stressors you may be experiencing that could threaten your mental well-being. Before you can help others, you must first help yourself. Once you begin to better understand your mental health, you will be better equipped to positively and impactfully support others.
***This does not mean that you have to FULLY be intuned with yourself and have 100% of the answers - quite the opposite. As human beings, mental health will always be apart of our life. Like eating healthy foods to nourish our body and prevent physical illness, tending to our mental well-being is a continuous journey that requires life-long practice.
Educate Others
Once you have educated yourself on the basics of mental health and its impacts, and taken an introspective journey through your mental wellness, you can then shift your gaze to educating others. A HUGE problem with the way that mental health is viewed in today’s society is the existing stigmas.
For instance, there are still plenty of people out there who do not consider mental health to be a “real” health problem:
“Mental health is made up”
“You are weak if you can’t handle the stresses of day-to-day-life”
“You are just being lazy…”
“You are crazy…”
“Why can’t you just smile and be happy? It isn’t that bad…”
“There is nothing to worry about so stop being anxious…”
“Stop overreacting…”
“You’re too sensitive…”
“You have a good life so you shouldn’t be depressed…”
Have you ever heard one of these phrases/a variation said to you or someone else? Have you ever said one of these phrases/a variation to someone else or even yourself? Have you ever read a Tweet or a Facebook post containing one of these phrases/a variation? I am sure that most people can answer “yes” to at least one if not more, and I am here to tell you that even just one is TOO MUCH.
I am sure you have heard this one before, but seriously consider: if someone had a cold, or the flu, or a chronic illness such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease, diabetes, etc., would you EVER say to them, “you are just being lazy,” “stop overreacting,” or “why can’t you just smile and be happy?” I seriously doubt it.
Now that you know more about mental health, it is your responsibility as a member of society to positively educate those around you (I emphasize POSITIVELY, here folks, no yelling at anyone because they don’t yet have all of the information you do).
You can do this in so many simple ways every day:
If you hear a negative comment, take a moment to inform that person of the implications of their words.
If you are a big social media user, share and comment on positive mental health posts, campaigns, websites, etc.
Talk about mental health and wellness MORE often - see point 5: Normalize
Don’t add fuel to the “hate” fires…if you see/read a negative post online, simply comment with links to professional, educational material - don’t give others the satisfaction of feeding into the negativity. Some people hold strongly to their beliefs, and sharing your personal opinion will not help them to learn or shift their perspectives - we can only keep sharing factual, educational materials and hope that it helps.
Offer Support
At this point, you have conducted your research on mental health, and become more comfortable learning and sharing about your mental well-being. All of the steps leading up to this have helped you to build a tool-kit full of mental-health-related knowledge that you can share with others. Hopefully, you now know some of the trying signs and symptoms of mental illness, and you can begin to recognize them in yourself and those around you. Whether you notice signs in friends, family members, or even co-workers, it is your responsibility to reach out a helping hand and offer your support to anyone who may be suffering. I am not suggesting that you have to dedicate your life 24/7 to helping others, but what I am suggesting is that we are all human beings. We are all dealing with some form of struggle in our own ways, and it can never hurt to let someone know that you care about them and their health.
Here are some simple ways you can offer support:
Let them know you care
Let them know that you are there if they ever need to talk
Be a shoulder for them to cry on
If you also struggle with mental health, share your story with them to offer comfort and most importantly let them know that they are not alone
In more serious cases:
Offer to drive them to a doctor’s/counselling appointment
Help them research/seek medical help
Help them to open up to their family about their struggles
Contact emergency help if necessary
Normalize
It may sound simple enough, but sadly it will be an ongoing battle. Normalizing mental health takes more than celebrating Bell Let’s Talk day once a year, or talking about “Winter SAD” on one Monday/year. I want to be clear here - fundraising/awareness campaigns such as Bell Let’s Talk are incredible, however, lots of people jump on the bandwagon for a day or two and then forget about the cause for the rest of the year.
This is why we need to work together to spread awareness and education on mental health EVERY DAY. I know that together we can make a difference! My dream for Content by Kristyn is to bring people together through words and create a community committed to using our voices to positively impact society. So what do you think? Are you in?
Yours happily,
Kristyn xo