It's Not Just a 'Brain Thing'
There is so much I want to say about this that I can’t quite get my words to flow, so I’m going to word vomit on your screen, sorry!
A while ago, I went through a really tough time. I was struggling to motivate myself to get out of bed, I would be skipping college almost every day and I couldn't concentrate when I actually managed to get myself there. My eating went from either binging to practically starving myself and people started to notice. Everyday tasks became almost impossible and that's to not even mention the negative thoughts I had going through my head. I wanted to end my life. When I was diagnosed with depression, I tried seeking multiple forms of professional help but felt so ashamed when it came to talking about what was going on.
As I continued to receive help, I came to the realisation that poor mental health is not something that has just gone wrong. Everything happens for a reason and so it’s your brains way of trying to tell you something.
Mental health problems can sometimes be to do with your genes and it can also be to do with a chemical imbalance in the brain, and I’m not going to pretend that I’m an expert but here is the one thing I do know, as a society, we need to shift from thinking that it is just a 'brain thing' and convert ourselves into realising that its a result of many built up factors.
For example, if you very rarely get the chance to be active, then you are more susceptible to feeling low, which can lead to sleeping too much or not enough, increased or decreased appetite and you not doing the things that matter to you most, etc.
If we move away from medical supplements, there is other ways to help improve your mental health. There's an approach called behavioural activation, which in simple terms, means doing things differently leads to thinking and feeling differently.
I have spoken before about wanting to get people to talk about their own mental health as a way of relieving tension around the subject.
One of the main pieces of advice you will hear throughout your life is 'be yourself', but I challenge you to ignore this.
Don't be you, don't be yourself. Be we, be us, be a part of the group. check in on one another, tell people when you have had a good day or when you are feeling low. Tell people about the walk you took because if that's what has made you proud today then others will be proud too.
Motivate one another.
Love one another.