“Today we’re going to talk about mental health,” I remember hearing my middle school health teacher say. At the time, my awareness of mental health was just an addendum to my knowledge of health. For me, health was just the physical aspects of taking care of myself, like eating and exercising. I took notes, passed tests, and pushed information about mental health to the back of my mind.
Growing up, several of my friends have told me about taking medication and seeing therapists for their mental health. I always supported them and wanted to make sure they were living their best life. I had no idea they were struggling with their mental health. It was all I could do to help them and let them know so they could reach out if they needed anything. And I could tell they appreciated it. What I didn’t know at the time was how difficult it would be to tell someone what I was going through.
When I first started experiencing mental health issues, I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. In addition to the fear of being judged for what I was going through, I didn’t know how to explain it to others. The same brain fog that was blurring my physical feelings was also confusing my thoughts. I remember yelling at her mom at one point this summer. Her mother asked me how I felt, and all I could say was, “I don’t know!” Unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you honestly can’t explain it in a way that others can understand.
Once I realized what I was going through, there was a part of me that didn’t want to talk to other people about it. I had never had such severe anxiety in my life, and I was mentally blaming myself for my friends who were “doing it together.” When my friends started contacting me about how I was doing, I couldn’t lie to them and tell them I was okay when I wasn’t feeling well. I hesitantly told them that my anxiety was combined with depression and if I wasn’t being myself, it was because of that.
Instead of a million questions being asked of me, my friends and family – people I didn’t even know had experienced mental health issues – opened up to me. They told me about their symptoms, how long they had been battling mental health, and what they had done to combat their symptoms. It felt like the biggest breath of fresh air. I learned that people around me were having the same emotions and struggles as me, and I realized that I was not alone in my troubles.
I’m now very open about talking about my mental health and hope to continue talking about it with others. If you don’t have time to talk to someone about how you’re doing, use an app that sends you hourly affirmations to calm your mind and remind you that you can do difficult things. We are lucky to live in a generation where more people are talking about their mental health rather than hiding it. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about our mental health. It should be similar to how we talk about going to the gym or trying a new healthy meal. You never know, but just one conversation about how someone is doing can completely change their life.
Header photo: Courtesy of Emma Johnson
Please write to Emma Johnson at: emma.johnson@mnsu.edu
