Shine a Light on Mental Health and the Challenges We Face in the Real World | Real World with Megan
Shine a Light on Mental Health and the Challenges
hey y’all welcome to real world with megan where we shine a light on mental health and the challenges we face in the real world. i’m megan and i’m so glad you’re here. when i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety symptoms i was really upset because i went in thinking yeah i probably have mild maybe mild to moderate depression and i was pretty sure i had anxiety but i did not think i had severe depression and chronic anxiety, i wasnt sure where to look for support services, treatment information, or medical care. Was there medicine that i could take that would help?
Shine a Light on Mental Health
i felt like okay now that i have these diagnoses my boss isn’t going to take me seriously anymore, my co-workers are going to start to treat me with kid gloves, no one’s going to think that i’m a competent capable human being they’re just going to see a diagnosis and a mental illness disorder. so because of that fear and the shame that came along with that diagnosis i shoved everything down i tried to keep it in the dark. i didn’t want anyone to know about it. once i was open and honest it helped me to realize one of the biggest lies that my depression and anxiety tell me is that i am the only one who’s dealing with this. Even if i’m not the only person with a diagnosed mental illness i’m not handling it as well as other people who have these same illnesses and that is a lie.
Shine a Light on Types of mental health issues and illnesses
When i started to shine a light on my condition that’s when i was able to see the truth. i think that the biggest weapon we have against shame and that feeling of despair is the truth. when we’re able to check those lies against what is accurate. i also believe the most dangerous part of mental illness isn’t the illness itself but it’s how we treat it. it’s the stigma that goes with it our fear and shame causes us to shove down our struggles into the dark where the lies have space to grow undisturbed. they’re just able to fester and expand into this all-consuming thing.
Shine a Light on Types of mental health problems
so how do you fight the darkness you fight it with the light by shining a light on mental health. we can see the dark and the twisty thoughts for what they are they are, lies. there are lies our brain is telling us when we see these lies in the light of day it’s much easier to check them against the truth according to the national alliance on mental health about one in five adults in the u.s or 46.6 million people experiences mental illness in a given year. if you don’t personally experience depression or anxiety there’s a good chance it’s impacting someone close to you and so that’s what this is ultimately about, fighting shame with the truth and we’re doing it in the real world. the world where you’re still going to school or to work handling real world responsibilities, engaging with your friends and family. the real world which can start to feel very far away when you’re sucked into the whole of depression and anxiety.
Shine a Light on the biggest challenge people with mental illness face
if you battle depression, Anxiety disorders, or you’re going through an especially dark time right now i pray this brings you peace. for those who are not personally impacted i pray this brings awareness that depression and anxiety are not something to just get over or something that’s always easy to recognize. For everyone listening or tuning in i pray this brings hope. so thank you for helping and tuning in.