Sharing – On the Mental Health Conversation

This is 100% true. We have come a long way, and yet, we are still so far away from a place where talking about mental health issues is common, and not met with stigma.

The conversation around mental illness has started to shift. Every January our social feeds are flooded with #BellLetsTalk which has raised more than $7 million for mental health (albeit with debatable success) and we continue to hit like every time we see a #selfcare meme. Yet, if there are people in the world that believe that taking medication for a serious mental illness makes them weak or that they need to fear letting their workplace know of their diagnosed illness, then we have so much further to go.

And how can we solve this? By normalizing mental struggles.

I love the fact that her boss was just honest about his mental health issues, and the fact that he took antidepressants, and how much difference that made it her own ability to talk about mental health. Simply put, this has to be what we do. All of us who advocate for more mental health conversation, awareness, and resources, need to create a space where anyone, everyone, can share their own stories, and advocate for their own care, without fear of being judged for needing it.

We aren’t there yet. We only get there by continuing to be honest about our own stories.

https://imparttherapy.com/blog/f/on-the-mental-health-conversation