 To varying intensity and duration, we've all struggled with our mental health at some point in our lives. Experiencing these issues are part of the human condition, part of our life cycle just like birth, aging, and death. Yet, mental illness does not garner the same level of empathy and societal acceptance as physical illness. While we take time off when we are physically ill, it is unheard of in nearly all workplaces for employees to take a "mental health day" off work, to just stay at home, when they are on the brink of burnout and desperately need to re-charge. It would make a huge difference if companies provided even one paid holiday for employees to take care of their mental health without having to lie in order to do so. Feeling forced into lying is part of what perpetuates the stigma around mental health.
As Socrates said, "the unexamined life is not worth living". Self-analysis is necessary for all of us to understand our blind spots, and to be equipped with the right tools to initiate meaningful change. It takes strength and trust to be vulnerable in session. Vulnerability and honesty are necessary for growth. If you are in therapy, this is a great time to honour yourself for all of the work that you have done thus far, and to celebrate the fact that your enhanced self-awareness impacts the lives of the most important people in your life. Relationships are on the path to restoration and revitalization because of you. Habitual self-care and going to therapy are acts of generosity towards yourself and others. I hope one day mental illness will be recognized as a normal, inevitable response to life's accumulated daily stresses and unexpected curveballs at certain stages in life, and people validated by loved ones for the courage it takes to seek therapy as part of their healing.
9 Comments
Ricky Tran
10/13/2020 09:18:44 am
I had bad depression as a teenager which lasted from when I was 14 all the way through high school due to bullying. I was addicted to alcohol. My mom wanted me to try therapy and was willing to pay for it. It was therapy that helped me, from a therapist who really cared and I felt she understood what I was going through. I saw her for several years. My confidence and motivation came back and I finished university with honours. Soon after, I was able to start a small business with the help of a few grants and my savings. I now employ 14 people and I think your idea of a mental health day is great, and I agree it will help reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses.
Samantha Samuels
10/13/2020 10:39:27 pm
I love to hear stories like yours Ricky, especially how your earlier trials played a crucial role in you uplifting the mental health of others. I hope your company offering mental health days will inspire others to do the same.
Jeremy
10/16/2020 12:24:06 am
We all go through the same feelings in response to the everyday difficulties of life, the small disappointments and the bigger traumas. Yet people who have never seen a therapist like to pretend that they are stronger or smarter than people who openly admit they go to therapy or have been in the past. This is what keeps us isolated and disconnected.
Samantha Samuels
10/30/2020 10:16:57 pm
It's people who are truly confident in themselves who can openly talk about their difficulties. This is because they know that other people's judgements of them are largely to do with that person's own fears and insecurities.
Alicia Vasquez
10/30/2020 09:34:59 am
No one escapes heartbreak in their life, everyone has been there but no one openly talks about these things. Celebrities are coming out with their difficult life experiences on social media to try to relate to their fans or shed light on important topics but its easy for them because they are already successful and not worried about losing people's respect or admiration. But regular people post only their best which causes other people to feel lower self-esteem or to compare themselves. They think they will lose other people's respect if they admit their difficulties.
Samantha Samuels
10/30/2020 10:25:19 pm
I find this very true Alicia. After overcoming a difficulty, people enjoy talking about it to show how far they have come. But it's hard to talk about it in real time. For instance, when you are living in poverty, there is often shame and a fear of other people finding out and treating you as below them. When you grow up and earn more money, you can look back on how hard you worked and be okay with people knowing you once were poor because you are successful now and people can't treat you as 'less than' or feel sorry for you. It takes a lot of courage to talk about difficulties while you are in the middle of them and I wish more people would do that so we as a society can develop more authenticity and genuine connection.
Nat
11/9/2020 09:18:40 am
Yoga is the time I take to myself and is the one constant I've had for over 35 years through so many changes, raising children, switching careers, and divorce. Yoga enables me to be my best.
Samantha Samuels
1/30/2021 10:33:13 pm
I feel the same way about yoga, it reduces my overall stress and enables me to think more clearly. I'm happier when I do it regularly. I'm happy that you are able to have this steady self-care routine to feel your best.
DD
3/29/2022 11:58:21 pm
Ain't that the truth! I'm in therapy because my wife won't go to therapy! And Lord knows she needs it!!! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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