Releasing the Rainbow of your Mental Health
By Praise Olarinde, Content Writer at The Mind Wheel
Website|Twitter| Facebook| Instagram | LinkedIn| YouTube
I wish I could tell you it would be quite easy from here on out. That your anxiety wouldn’t get the better of you anymore, that everyone who now knows you’ve got Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) would be happy you came visiting, and your panic attacks wouldn’t make you feel insecure again.
I hope for that but that’s not going to happen the way you think. People would still make side remarks about you, you’d still find it hard to speak out in public, you would feel like giving up but it’s not abnormal to feel that way.
Life is in phases and every good desire or change takes time. Don’t feel bad that things aren’t working out the way you thought they would be. Growth is never instant. You would definitely feel like Thanos-snapping your finger so that everything would just be in their place and that happens to a lot of us but it’s never happening. There is always a process.
Being stigmatized because you are experiencing some difficulties with your mental health is inappropriate. One reason why most people find it difficult to speak up is because of how they would be perceived by society. There are the pity eyes and looks, the ‘you’ve really suffered in life’ behavior, the ‘you’re not the first person to have a mental health issue’ attitude, the gossiping lips, and don’t infect me with your sickness attitude. All these will make you wish you never have another episode or want to escape from it all.
Not feeling insecure about your mental health is a process and one of them involves embracing the challenges you’re facing. There is this weird belief that not accepting that something is actually wrong makes what is wrong go away. It is simply not wanting to accept reality. Society has taught us to act like everything is just fine on the outside when we’re suffering on the inside. If you want people around to look at you for who you are, you must do the honors of seeing yourself that way first. Don’t pretend the issues aren’t really serious or do not even exist. They do! As you begin to accept this part of you, you gradually learn that you’re not defined by what you’re going through and the insecure feeling wears off over time.
Stronger Than You Know
There is an amazing side to you that has been hidden from the world because of how they look at you. That side of you isn’t judged for having mental health issues but viewed upon as someone who is highly qualified to be equal with others. As a matter of fact, speaking about your mental health doesn’t make you inferior but rather courageous. However, you need to consider it a part of you that would wear off as you grow and take steps to managing it.
As you begin to appreciate this part of you that you consider weird, the part that people find it hard to understand- they would follow suit in seeing the perfect imperfections. Not immediately, but as you try and get better some would start seeing you too. If you want to be seen for who you truly are, you should begin with your journey towards self-acceptance.
Reach out to us and book a free counseling session on our ‘Mind Wheel’ COVID-19 response project, send a message to +2348189182778 or +2347056233908, or email themindwheel@gmail.com. We’re always available to talk with you.
