Happy Mental Illness Day?
Apparently, today was Mental Illness Day...whatever that means.
I hate saying that I have a mental illness. There's the stigma of course: "But you seem so happy! How can you possibly have depression?"; "If you really had (insert diagnosis here) then why do you seem so normal?"; "You just need to have more faith!"....and so on and so forth.
Of course, my various diagnoses certainly classify me as mentally ill--depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Geez, I sound like I should be in a room with padded walls, not a happily married stay-at-home mom!
Truth of the matter is, mental health issues are much more common than most people realize. Everyday, you will walk by someone who is struggling with them to varying degrees. Are they over-diagnosed? Possibly, but I think that we're just more aware of it now than we were fifty years ago.
Do I have a mental illness? *cringes* Yes, but I am doing everything in my power to not let it define me while trying to go beyond my limits...trust me, that's hard.
On my hardest days, I kneel down in prayer and ask Heavenly Father, "Why? Why am I going through this? Please, just take this away from me! How can this possibly be for my own good?"
Over the years, I've received a lot of insight into why mental illness is one of my trials in life.
(1) I have developed a greater understanding and appreciation for the Atonement..
(2) I have accepted that I can't do everything myself and that I need to accept help wherever I can.
(3) Depression runs in my family, and should any of my children ever face depression, I pray that I will be better able to help them.
(4) Opening up about my struggles could help someone else.
So uh...if you know someone who is battling a mental illness, please give them a hug. Or if they don't like hugs, just lend a listening and non-judgmental ear. That's all we ask for. And sometimes, we do need a figurative slap in the face. That's right. FIGURATIVE!
I hate saying that I have a mental illness. There's the stigma of course: "But you seem so happy! How can you possibly have depression?"; "If you really had (insert diagnosis here) then why do you seem so normal?"; "You just need to have more faith!"....and so on and so forth.
Of course, my various diagnoses certainly classify me as mentally ill--depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Geez, I sound like I should be in a room with padded walls, not a happily married stay-at-home mom!
Truth of the matter is, mental health issues are much more common than most people realize. Everyday, you will walk by someone who is struggling with them to varying degrees. Are they over-diagnosed? Possibly, but I think that we're just more aware of it now than we were fifty years ago.
Do I have a mental illness? *cringes* Yes, but I am doing everything in my power to not let it define me while trying to go beyond my limits...trust me, that's hard.
On my hardest days, I kneel down in prayer and ask Heavenly Father, "Why? Why am I going through this? Please, just take this away from me! How can this possibly be for my own good?"
Over the years, I've received a lot of insight into why mental illness is one of my trials in life.
(1) I have developed a greater understanding and appreciation for the Atonement..
(2) I have accepted that I can't do everything myself and that I need to accept help wherever I can.
(3) Depression runs in my family, and should any of my children ever face depression, I pray that I will be better able to help them.
(4) Opening up about my struggles could help someone else.
So uh...if you know someone who is battling a mental illness, please give them a hug. Or if they don't like hugs, just lend a listening and non-judgmental ear. That's all we ask for. And sometimes, we do need a figurative slap in the face. That's right. FIGURATIVE!
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