Similar Posts
Sharing – I Write About Mental Illness Because People Tell Me I Shouldn’t
I think what Elizabeth writes in the post below is powerful, because the reasons to not talk about mental health issue can seem awfully attractive. “To be honest, I’m terrified to share this. But it needs to be shared. Many people tell me to quit talking about mental illness. Many well-intended people call me, send…
Sharing – Is social media as bad for mental health as we think? New study challenges screen time fears
You can see how it’s not simple. Mental health across a generation of individuals defies every attempt at a one-size-fits-all narrative, because we are not all one size. On the other hand, our brains want a simple narrative because what they want more than anything else is a reason to think that this won’t happen to our kids or us. So we run to simple solutions like bees to a hive. Sometimes that causes us to miss a lot of the details.
Let’s hope we continue to see improvements, but understand that there are a host of things we can and should be doing that don’t involve social media at all.
It’s Almost Like Mental Health is Complicated or Something
Being more social and getting some exercise can help people feel better about themselves and improve their mental health struggles. It won’t fix everything, and we must stop pretending they will. If elite athletes can struggle with mental health, we can’t go around stigmatizing people dealing with depression as lazy folks who need a good workout, and we can’t tell someone who’s introverted and struggling with anxiety to meet more people and expect that will cure them.
It’s likely not going to cure them any more than a day in the grass would heal bipolar disorder or hallucinations.
That also doesn’t mean they are worthless endeavors. Having close connections and getting some exercise in nature are, generally, good things.
They aren’t a replacement for solid mental healthcare, though. Our mental health is a little more complicated than that.
