Although National Mental Health Week is coming to an end, it still deserves a great amount of recognition. People often avoid acknowledging their own, and others mental health status, but why? There seems to be an ongoing idea that has been around for a long time that suggests that struggling with your own mental health may be a sign of weakness, or something to be ashamed of. It is time to erase that negative stereotype.
Physical and mental health are equally important in order to live a long, happy, and healthy life. So, think of it this way, if you are experiencing a physical illness or injury, how do you feel? Do you feel ashamed of yourself? Do you blame yourself? Do you hide this from your peers and family members because you are embarrassed? No, you most likely would not blame yourself for a physical illness or injury, and you would most likely seek help and advice from trained professionals and close family and friends to deal with, and overcome this physical illness or injury. How is this any different from experiencing a mental illness, or struggling temporality with your own mental health? I would like to argue that it is no different at all, and that is why any negative stereotypes surrounding mental illness need to be objected.
In my opinion, it is socially acceptable in todays society to experience physical injuries or illnesses because it is considered, for the most part, out of ones control. The issue with this is that still, in todays society, mental illness is not fully accepted, and people are still being blamed for struggling with their own mental health. When making the comparison between mental and physical health, I do not mean to undermine, or not acknowledge the significance of the impact a physical illness or injury may have. Experiencing a physical injury or illness could definitely have a negative impact on ones mental health. The two cannot be completely isolated from one another, and that is why we, as a modern society, cannot view mental and physical health as two completely separate entities.
No matter who you are, how smart or athletic you are, or how loved you may be, no one is happy, or is expected to be happy and stress free all of the time. Everyone experiences hardships, and sometimes those who are under the most pressure to be the perfect student, or the perfect athlete are the ones who are struggling the most, but are too afraid to taint their image of perfection to seek help. By saying that, I am not attempting to create different categories of people who are more or less likely to struggle with mental health because as I previously mentioned, it does not matter who you are, everyone struggles with their own mental health, just like everyone struggles with their own physical health.
I believe that the differing views among society regarding physical and mental wellness may stem from the fact that physical struggles are, most often, more easily visible than mental struggles. You can visibly see a broken leg, but you cannot see the emotional pain that someone who is struggling with their mental health is suffering through.
Mental health is hard to describe because there are so many different variations of struggle that someone may face. No matter what you are feeling or struggling through, no matter how big or small, it deserves attention, it deserves to be heard. Allow yourself to be vulnerable, and do not be afraid to ask for help, you may be surprised by how many people are willing to listen. There are so many resources out there to assist with improving and maintaining mental health.
As college students we can be very susceptible to struggling with our own mental health during our college career. At this age one may be consumed with how their peers, professors, and even their own parents perceive them. It is crucial that we recognize that struggling with mental health is not a sign of weakness, and it is not something to be ashamed of. No matter what you may be feeling, you must recognize that it is okay to experience these feelings.
Many tragedies, such as suicide, that may be the result of mental health struggles have a greater chance of being prevented with increased acceptance and awareness among society. You do not know what the person sitting next to you in class is feeling, you should not judge others, or fear the judgement of others.
Just remember that you are never alone in the battles that you face internally. There are always people that can provide advice, love, and resources to help fight your internal battles with you.