Skip to main content

It Gets Better!

  It Gets Better!

                                     
Photo credit: Nappy

As the curtain closes on Mental  Health Month, I felt led  to share my story with my readers. But before I go any further, I would just like to remind you of a few things. 

Mental Health Awareness is important. 

Your mental health is important. 

Your thoughts matter. 

You matter.

It is no secret that there is a common but undeserved stigma attached to mental health. Whether or not we want to admit it, everyone  has mental health. Just as one is concerned about their physical well-being, the same should apply to their emotional well-being. 

However, this utopia does not exist and many of us neglect to take care of our minds. Being raised in the Caribbean I have noticed that we do not talk about our feelings, we do not share what is bothering us and we seldom reach out for help. This may be that we are too ashamed or we are afraid of being shunned. 

 

There is nothing to be ashamed of. There is nothing wrong with seeking help. In fact, your mental wellness should be at the top of your priority list. You must take care of you in order to take care of others. 

    My Story.


   

I have always battled depression (as far as I remember); I do not remember a time I was not depressed about something. My breaking point came two years ago, when I encountered waves of depression for reasons I will leave unnamed. I just recall being in a terrible place. I barely ate and all I wanted to do was sleep. A few people noticed but the people closest to me did not and this made me more depressed. 

I came to realize that I had to do something to save myself; to keep me from drowning in that sea of depression. So I sought help. This was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. My therapist helped me to identify my triggers and to eliminate situations which are not conducive to my well-being. I am doing much better and I still see my therapist now and then. 

 

    How You Can Help Yourself.

Seek Help.

 

Instead of beating yourself up or sitting there feeling sorry for yourself, I would advise you to seek professional help. Talking to friends may help, but a professional is equipped to deal with your underlying issues and help you regain balance.


Also, you should NOT go around diagnosing yourself or others. That is the professional’s job.


Identify Your Triggers.

As you embark on this journey, you will have to learn to be observant of your behaviour in your surroundings. You are going to have to pin-point what sets you off, what weighs you down and what heightens your fight or flight senses. You need to ask yourself these questions: 

What causes me to feel this way? 

Why am I downcast? 

What initiated this bout of depression? 

What about this place makes me feel worthless? 

What about this person makes me feel unworthy? 

 


Healthy Environment.

Once you have figured out some of your triggers, it is now your responsibility to avoid them. In some cases it may be difficult. If it is a job; it may be time to find a new job. If it is a parent, sibling or relative; you may need to avoid that individual and when you are ready - interact with them but in small doses. 

“What if where I am/live now is a trigger for me?” You need to move. 

If you do not try to help yourself, you will always feel this way. There's a great big world out there. It is time for you to make that move you have always wanted to (perhaps after Covid-19 dies out).


Connect.

 

I can not stress this enough. It is important that you connect with like-minded people. You are not meant to go through this alone (none of us are). 

You matter. 

Your mental health matters. 

Community matters. 

 

 

For further reading, use the links below:

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

 

https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Month


You may also want to listen to I am Light by India. Arie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ism8dBjxKvc


 

Living with a mental illness or disorder, especially during Covid -19, can be difficult. Know that you do not have to go through it alone and you have the option of reaching out. It is imperative that you speak to yourself every waking moment; "Things will get better". Things will get better. But you need to believe it.

 

 Also, do not be afraid of sharing your story, you never know how many lives you can save or minds you can strengthen. Feel free to email to share your story. I love a good survivor story, after all we are all survivors. 

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It Is Okay To Rest.

 Rest  Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash I recently rang a relative to wish her happy birthday and asked her what she planned to do for the day. She candidly replied, "Work. We are a hard-working family, remember?"  She was telling the truth. I grew up watching my family till the soil with their bare hands, after all "by the sweat our brow" we had to eat. There is nothing wrong with working hard to provide for yourself and others but at what cost? I decided a long time ago that would not be my narrative.  Balance  Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash  I know what it means to work yourself to the ground. I know what it means to grind and hustle. I know what it means to get caught up in the horrors and toxicity of capitalism. I had to watch my mother do it and, for a while, I inherited that culture.  But there is nothing wrong with laying it down and walking away to redefine productivity.  I know what it means to work myself to exhaustion but, I...

Not Afraid of Winning!

 Not Afraid of Winning! Photo by Laurent Perren on Unsplash Like most writers and artists, I struggle with imposter syndrome and anxiety. I almost could not sit down and wield myself to write this blog.  I am learning that the first step to recovery is acknowledging you have a problem. I own that I am often afraid to pick up a pen and write, take my brush and paint much less to share my creations.  Don't get me wrong, I know greatness is in my bones. I know I can bend words and start a movement if I choose. But deep down, when the accolades are covered in dust, I tend to forget the kind of magic that exists within me. Some parts of me refuse to believe that I deserve to win.  Luckily, I am not alone in this battle and one of the perks of being part of a creative community is that you always have the wisdom of others walking you home. I'll always be grateful for my fellow writers (Edd and Erwin) and friends like Novie and Lisa who always encourage me to "do something...

I Am Not Alone.

                                                  I Am Not Alone.                                                                                  Photo by Saffu on Unsplash If we are anything alike, then you most likely value solitude. And there is nothing wrong with that. However, there are lessons that we need to learn alone and those we need to learn through community.  Photo by Hans Vivek on Unsplash I am finally brave enough to embrace a lesson that the Universe has been trying to teach me for some time now. Whenever I go through hard times, my first instinct is to isolate myself. I hav...