It’s mental health week in Canada and mental health month in the USA right now and in a recent blog I shared tips on how you can take control of your mental health. Today I am going to dive deeper by sharing my own story of being victorious in my battle with mental health.
Each day in the media we receive reminders of just how great of a fear many have in coming forward about their struggles when it comes to mental health and mental illness. There are suicides that could have been prevented and instances of violence that could have been avoided. At the same time we observe (or maybe even personally experience) just how much struggling with mental health can bring a person down in life.
For many it comes down to being worried what others will think that keeps them silent, where they feel forced in having to make the choice to put the need to appear “normal” ahead of being mentally healthy.
I know this too well as I once lived in that world.
It’s my belief that by sharing my own experience now I can make a small contribution in helping to turn the tide so that society no longer views mental health and mental illness as being dirty words, enabling people to feel more comfortable in coming forward to seek out assistance.
I recently sat down and put together a poem that describes my descent into battle and what led me into being victorious.
What if I told someone I was struggling with my mental health?
Would I be viewed in a negative light?
Or would I be seen as being all right?
Being judged or prejudged was my biggest fear.
And having to listen to hurtful words that I just didn’t want to hear.
Many emotions ran through my head,
Like being made to feel less than, of which I lived in dread.
Life is full of tough choices, some not easy to make,
Many come with there being a bit of risk one must take.
Living in silence comes with a cost,
I was left on my own and often felt lost.
I know this path well as I choose it for years,
Even though it brought me sadness and countless tears.
All the while my brain was telling me do what was right,
Yet I struggled in finding the courage but kept hoping someday I might.
After many years I realized it was causing me enormous stress,
And also conditioning me to believe I actually was less.
My state of mental health was weak, a heavy burden to carry,
That I began thinking being open and authentic may not be so scary.
I began seeing it differently; I had to take my life back,
And was ready to do whatever to get it back on track.
I started out slowly, not knowing what to expect,
Eager to see if I would be treated with respect.
What happened instead was amazing to see,
I was set free! I became me!
Showing up in the world and being who I am,
Made me realize that in all honesty, I no longer gave a damn.
You see, people may think whatever they’d like to,
It doesn’t change my mind in wanting to live being true.
Everyone struggling with mental health issues has a voice,
And it’s my hope that the views of the world will change so speaking up isn’t a difficult choice.
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where there is no stigma?
Where no barriers exist and there is no enigma?
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Very touching!! I, too, have TBI and PTSD, which is complex after being in a car accident and surviving a brain injury.
Lee Gerdes, of http://www.brainstatetech.com , believes unbalanced brains are the result of traumas in life.
After reading more about how our limbic system works, we can get triggered by smells, sounds, things we see, touch, or hear, so that makes it very hard for the average person to understand that an emotional reaction of another person is most likely that one of the senses has been “triggered” an old memory. I hope to write more about how I work with this in myself on my blog.
Thanks for being so open and honest!!