Mental health is becoming more and more acceptable to talk about as we enter into the 20’s once more. There are so many different ways to get help and it should no longer feel like a weakness, nor should it have ever felt like one. But here’s why it’s okay to ask for help with your mental health.
One in eight adults receive mental health treatment (source: mentalhealth.org), one in eight! That’s quite a lot of people around you getting help for their mental health, are you one of them? I have been and I probably will be in the future. Personally I have never experienced any personal restrictions when it comes to asking for help, in fact, I’ll pretty much scream it from the rooftops if I need to. I’m lucky to think like that and I know not everyone does, so I want to remind you why it is acceptable and also welcomed to ask for help.
I am terrified of the dentist. Hate going, don’t go often. BUT. If my tooth was really hurting me and I knew it wasn’t right and was causing me pain, I would book an appointment. I’d go to that appointment, maybe I’d take someone with me, and I would sit there and let someone poke at the painful parts of me and maybe scare me shitless. None of that experience would be pleasant, not of it would be something I would want to do, but because I was in physical pain, I would do it. Can you tell where this is going?
Why is your mental health any different to your physical health?
Why would you not take your mental pains as seriously as your physical ones?
Are you ashamed to go to the doctors if you think you’ve broken a bone? (I hope not!)
Your brain is so, so important, you only get one in a lifetime… until we enter into a sci-fi world that is? So you need to take care of yourself, and in turn, this will benefit the experiences you have, the people around you, the life you lead. One of my favourite quotes applies to so many moments in life, this time next year, you’ll be glad you started today.
Getting help for your mental health is a journey for sure, I’ve been on it for ten years now and I’ve had many different experiences. It’s not been fast and it hasn’t been easy or clear, but it is a step in the right direction to get guidance and try and give yourself the best shot at your time on this planet. You can go to your Doctors to see what is available in your local area, but you can also visit services such as Mind and ReThink to find help in your local area. Of course, there are also private therapists that range in technique from sitting down and talking, CBT and hypnotherapy, as well as many other techniques.
As humans, we feel things passionately, deeply and with every fibre in our bodies. It’s not always an easy thing to do and sometimes we need help. But sometimes when we were at school and studying maths, we didn’t find that very easy either and we needed to ask for help. Admitting you have a weakness isn’t a flaw to your personality, it is a strength to know yourself well enough to want the best for yourself and to know how you can improve.
This is wonderful! Thank you for putting this together! <3
I love the examples you give about how in school we ask for help when we need it. We definitely need to talk about it more and most importantly, we need to tell ourselves it’s ok to reach out. Great post.