If we don’t talk about mental health, it doesn’t exist, right? Wrong. Mental health exists even if we choose to ignore it, in the same way not thinking about healing doesn’t mean we don’t need to heal.
Mental Health
We shouldn't ignore mental health. I have spent a lifetime talking about mental health. When you add the pandemic into the mix, it’s easy to see why mental health has taken a knock.
When it comes to my blog, I don’t make political statements, but I do point out the facts. I have brought politics into my writing, because it affects my life, the way I am able to live my life, it affects my mental health. But politics aside, mental health has become secondary to politics and physical health. Without good mental health, there is no physical health.
The 'blame game'
When we actively choose to ignore mental health, we shall continue to struggle with physical health and wellbeing. We may struggle to find opportunity; we may even start to spiral into the ‘blame game’ unless we’re already laying the blame elsewhere. But ignoring mental health, means we neglect our own personal needs and mental health.
Stereotyping Mental Health
Mental health stereotyping still exists. As a child, I was stereotyped for my inability to learn when I was failing school, but I wasn't failing me. I was also blamed for being angry and because I couldn’t get a grip on my anger.
Stigma and Mental Health
Anyone who deals with mental health issues may have stigma to deal with. For example, someone who is anxious in social situations and who may prefer to be alone, may be considered antisocial, or a recluse. Someone who struggles with depression may also be stigmatised; anyone with a mental disability can be stigmatised. (Source: https://www.theodysseyonline.com)
Talk it out
It's also easy to be stigmatised for taking the initiative, talking about mental health. As a species we tend to shy away from anything to do with mental health. I have learned not to shy away from my mental health, instead I deal with it.
Ignoring Mental Health
It’s not what people want to hear, and it can be the reason people choose to ignore mental health, but that’s a choice they make. It is important to deal with mental health, don’t neglect or ignore it.
Mental Health and its impact on physical health
Mental health has a huge impact on our physical health and our quality of life. If you’re not talking about mental health, you’re doing yourself an injustice and you may still get ill.
Ignoring mental health is a risk to individual health, it’s collective, someone knows someone who deals with mental health, who knows someone, who deals with illness around mental health.
Taking the initiative on mental health
Mental health affects us all. It is up to each of us to take the initiative, to educate ourselves with a conversation about mental health. It is time to wake up, mental health is serious, it needs to be addressed.
It shouldn’t be ignored. I have seen first-hand, how mental health can claim a life, and how talking about mental health can save a life.
My book deals with mental health. You can grab paperback and Kindle copies on Amazon, or through the following link https://linktr.ee/Ilana_Estelle
This and many of your other blogs give us explanations of why we should be addressing mental health.
It's easy to think of our physical health as separate from our mental health, but mental health is often the cause of physical health problems.
The stigma associated with mental health has led to people ignoring mental health and feeling embarrassed to speak about them. The pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works on mental health. Before that, in recent years, it got better, but there is still a very long way to go.
Your books help us to look at our mental health in a holistic way and show us why we must address mental health concerns. They are unlike any other books out there and I can thoroughly recommend them to everyone as I can your website.
Thanks. Yes, I know how important mental health, because mine is up and down, but even if your mental health isn't down to any great degree, we all deal with mental health and mental health issues.
No one is free of issues in the pandemic, families have been left scarred from the experience. They should be dealing with mental health. We should all be dealing with mental health.
I would implore everyone to think about their mental health, and check out my books. In the blink of an eye you can be affected by mental health. When you see someone close to you struggle and succumb to mental health, you have first hand knowledge.
It is important to work off the facts and change. Through my blog, I give you both. I 'talk about' mental health, because I know how important it is. It is not something you should ignore.