Most of the Sym’blem articles have been based on various activities,
events, and artworks. This article is based on mental health, stating how individuals in today’s
day and age find acceptance really difficult, for which I’d like to spread some awareness.
Mental health is the wellbeing of an individual and it has an effect on your day-to-day life and behavior. It is one of the most important factors of your life, it affects how you think, feel and act as you cope with life. What do you think, why do people find it hard to accept their mental
struggles?
My personal take on this is that there are multiple aspects regarding people finding it hard to accept their mental struggles, one reason is being judged by society and this stoops down to social anxiety, it is very important to accept who you are, all your flaws and strengths. One more factor could be living in denial and not being well informed about mental health.
Denial makes the situation worse. Sometimes it may be hard to accept the truth but it is very important to face the reality and make it acceptable and seek help if required.
There are many ways of coping such as
1. Reaching Out Where You Feel the Most Comfortable -
2. Inclusivity
3. Practice Saying That You’re Not Okay
4. Don’t Be Afraid of a Diagnosis
5. Call a helpline
6. Therapy
Therapy - In today’s day and age, people have a mind block of taking therapy. They fear being judged. You live for yourself and not for others and your mental health must be given utmost importance. Therapy is an appropriate way of seeking help as there are
psychologists and psychiatrists who have specialized in the same and
are available for the same.
Inclusivity – Being involved, considered to be equal, and considering others to be equal. Basically being a part of is inclusivity. ‘Included’ comes from the word inclusivity. Let me state a simple example, a student suffering from autism or maybe a slow learner, is unable to process what’s going on in class and is not able to learn with the class, if the teacher gives him more attention, it results in discrimination which is wrong. The appropriate way would be teaching the student as per his capability in a natural process with the class. This basically means the individuals suffering from a mental health issue must be treated equally
that it must not be given extra or less attention. They must not be excluded.
Reaching out – As I mentioned above, reaching out to a therapist is the most appropriate way to seek help. But in some cases if you do not have the accessibility for the same, you must reach out to someone who you’re comfortable talking to, they could be your folks, friends or even your teachers. Anyone who you’re comfortable opening up to. Calling a helpline – In critical situations where you feel you do not have control of yourself and your mind is filled with negativity at that moment, reach out to a helpline number and ask for immediate help before taking any wrong decisions. There are a number of helplines available over the
internet.
Diagnosis – I understand that undergoing a diagnosis is difficult. But like I said previously it is important to accept who you are. If you know what you’re going through you can start working on how to make things better and the sooner you do it the better.
Something I’d really like to talk about is what an individual should not be doing while suffering from a mental problem is substance abuse. In many cases, people suffering from mental health feel that they can cope by consuming drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other harmful
substances. Once they start consuming these harmful substances in no time the individual gets addicted to it and it becomes a coping mechanism that worsens your mental illness. It makes you more negative and results in low moods which can lead to depression, as these substances increase the number of chemicals in your brain like serotonin/dopamine. This leads to habit-forming / addiction. It does not allow you to think right in an intoxicated state and one can end up making wrong decisions.
Last but not least I would like to say that you’re loved, people care about you. Your life is important. Leaving everyone aside, it is very important to love yourself.
Mental health is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you
drive, not where you’re going.