As a child, I was desperate to talk about my disability. Growing up and struggling through school, I wanted to know why I mentally and emotionally struggled, why I was failing, and why I couldn't make the grade. I also wanted to know why my left leg and foot looked different to the right and why I had no muscle tone on my left.
Let's Talk 'Mental Health'
Mental health in my family weren't on the radar. Issues were never discussed, or talked about. If we had emotional problems, we continued to struggle. When it comes to mental health the importance of talking cannot be stressed enough.
Today, more people have a basic understanding of mental health and the importance of talking and although we have a greater basic knowledge of mental health, there are still misconceptions and mental health issues are still rife in society and prevalent amongst young people.
Time to Change 'Report'
A report by Time to Change estimate that 65% of young people with mental illness have faced stigma from their friends with 50% receiving stigma from their parents. The same report highlights the effects this can have on our mental health as well as on the rest of our lives.
Mental Health Stats
Around 30% said mental health had prevented them applying or taking up a university place. 50% talked about the fear of negative reactions preventing them from applying for jobs, or the stigma they had received. 28% said other people’s reactions had made them want to give up on life.
It's Important to Talk
It is important to talk about how you feel. When others don’t talk, you learn not to talk. It’s all about opening up. Being able to say how you feel is one step further away from anxiety. Share your personal experiences, talk about how you feel. We can all help make a society, where we don’t have to feel bad about things and we can talk.
By having a conversation, you literally take away the stigma of mental health. (Source: time-to-change.org)
I grew up in an environment of 'don't talk, don't think and don't feel' about anything, so I can relate.
It was supposed to be okay for my parents to constantly whine about their problems, but god forbid if any one of their children had problems that needed to be dealt with.
It still boggles my mind as to how any parent could treat their children this way, and not see any serious problems with that kind of behaviour.
I'm now only able to open up and talk to people open and honestly, which has made such a difference in my life. I want to finally have a normal life and feel comfortable in my own skin for a change.
Thanks Randy. Yes, I hear you... and can resonate in similar ways, slightly different in others. It's not acceptable, but that was then, this is now.
It is important we dust ourselves down and change our lives and for the better. We cannot change other people's behaviour, just our own.
And for our own children. Just changing one aspect of our childhood for our children, makes us the better person.