Today [January 28, 2014] is #BellLetsTalk day, a day in which an entire country tries to help raise awareness and erase the stigma that comes when discussing mental health. Mental health should not be something that we are afraid to discuss. Too many lives have been taken and NOT enough awareness has been made.
Suffering from mental illness does not make you weak, it merely means that you are struggling in way that people do not yet understand. Mental health describes a level of psychological well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. Mental health may include an individual’s ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Mental health can also be defined as an expression of emotions, and as signifying a successful adaptation to a range of demands.
Sometimes the answers seem lost or we are afraid for whatever reason that no one understands. Everyone’s journey is different & while we might not be the same…EVERYONE deserves to feel like they belong. Sometimes the best gift YOU can give is to simply LISTEN because sometimes all they need to is be HEARD. Turning our backs on mental health is NEVER an option, we NEED to stop the stigma that surrounds it. EVERY person has they own scars that are invisible on the outside and we ALL need to know that IS OKAY to ask for help. TOO many lives have been lost from the fear to speak up, let’s BE FEARLESS…SPEAK UP and SAVE lives.
Please, if you are suffering or or know someone that is suffering from mental illness DO NOT be afraid to ask for help. There is NO shame in admitting weakness or a need for help BUT in our darkest moments we CAN find strength. Asking for help is not a weakness, it IS a strength.
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change”. -Eckhart Tolle
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Today I am taking a mental health day AND taking the #MINDCHECK pledge, how about you?
I am Sarah and I am the friend of someone who was depressed.
I know it isn’t a choice. It’s not a weakness, self-inflicted, or a result of not trying. Sometimes you can’t just get over it, it won’t just go away. Pretending it isn’t happening doesn’t help. Talking about it does. Getting support early can make the difference.
Helping someone you care about is not a burden.
I pledge to learn the signs. I will not judge. I will have compassion. I will reach out, listen, talk, help, and find help.
My name is Sarah Laug and I will NOT stay silent. Will you?
Here’s to a BEGINNING for Mental Health awareness that will hopefully go beyond today and erase the stigmas that take away the focus.
Asking for help may be the most difficult thing you do today or tomorrow BUT I promise you it will be the most rewarding…this LIFE is worth living & YOU are important.
As always, until next time, nuck said.
Sarah E.L.
nucksaid 