Collaborative post. Why is it frowned upon to talk about mental health? Why are those that say they have a problem judged? Is society these days finally be becoming more accepting and what steps can you take to get help if you feel you need it? Let’s look at why we should be Talking About Mental Health and what we can do if we need a helping hand.
Talking About Mental Health
For years anyone that mentioned they had a mental health issue was stigmatised. Our mental health has been something we haven’t all addressed or looked after and in many cases issues we’ve suppressed issues rather than tackling them head on. With the pandemic, the cracks began to appear for many. More and more of us started to struggle. Noticing this, I started posting jokes on my personal facebook wall and found that something silly could really brighten someone’s day. In fact, my friends missed my jokes when I hadn’t posted. We all need distractions from daily life which can not only be monotonous but also a bit of a struggle. But, how do we go about talking about mental health and also finding help when we need it? Here are a few suggestions you might find helpful.
Talking to Family
Family are supposed to support us when we need them. To offer advice and care about what troubles us. Talking to family members is not always an easy thing to do depending of course on your family. Comments like “just suck it up” “ignore it” “why is it such an issue?” are not helpful. If you find this is what you are being faced with it might be time to consider speaking with friends instead. That being said some families or at least family members can be very supportive. Sharing our problems with our close family members can be a great way to get support and also make sure others know what you are going through and help us get the care we need.
Talking to Friends
A true friend will support you no matter what. They will listen to your problems and offer helpful advice however menial the problem may sound to them. Small things to one person can be a big thing for another. “It’s good to talk” the phrase was used in a BT advert a gazillion years ago but it’s true to this day. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved!’
Having a good support network within your friend group can be important. You don’t need to talk about problems every time you meet up. Simply getting out, spending time together talking about various things can in a way be like a form of therapy. It’s a great way to distract from daily life and can be just what we need. A break from problems can sometimes mean that we can then look at them from a different perspective and sometimes we realise they’re not so bad after all.
Seek Professional Advice
If you feel that family and friends although well meaning are not helping you with identifying the cause of the problem or addressing it then it may be advisable to seek professional assistance. Honestly, it’s not as daunting as you may think. Professionals are there to help you get better and will also know where and how to refer you if they feel you need further or different support. These individuals are well experienced in advising on mental health. They should be able to find things that can help even after the first session. It may be more helpful to talk to a mental health professional online as it can far less intimidating. It’s all about taking that initial step to seek help. You will feel much better for doing it.
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Finding A Solution to the Cause of the Problem
Identifying the cause of the problem can be the first step towards fixing it. Talking about mental health with others can help us identify the issue if we aren’t already aware of what is negatively affecting us. Once you know the cause of concern you can start looking to address it. This may be something you need to work on over time. Sometimes baby steps are needed but as you start to solve the issue and as you overcome some of the problems it’ll give you the confidence to keep going.
Work On Self Care
Self-care isn’t always something we dedicate enough time to but it is very important. By neglecting this we increase our stress levels. Increased stress can cause physical illness, affect our sleep etc. These in turn can make us feel worse and can affect our outlook on things and the way we handle situations. Dedicate time to self-care each week. Have a long soak in the bath, without the kids, watch a movie you’ve wanted to see in ages, go out with friends, have a spa day. Take up drawing, colouring, reading, jogging, playing an instrument or even filling in a wellness journal. There are so many things you can do. It doesn’t matter what it is. Just do something for you, something you enjoy.
We all have aspects of our lives we are unhappy with. It’s important that we look to address these whilst they are still manageable. Once they get out of hand it can be much harder to solve these issues and have a larger toll on our mental health.
Have you been talking to anyone about your mental health? Do you feel it may benefit you to speak with someone or work on your self care?
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I so agree that we need to talk about mental health more. We need to not make people feel bad for having depression.
That is very true. Depression is very common and one area where people will benefit from talking with others.
It is so important to talk about this. I talk openly with my kids and they know they can come to me with anything.
That’s great to hear. Our children should always feel safe sharing anything that is troubling them with us.
I am glad more and more people are aware and opening up about mental health. It is so important to keep talking and stay positive
It is very important to keep talking. It helps everyone.
I think that people wait too long to consult a professional. I understand why, but this message needs to be shared!
It isn’t always an easy thing to do. Sometimes it is a push from others that helps people take that step.
This post is really informative, mental health awareness is so important.
It really is important for us all to be more accepting and to help those that need us.
Mental Health is something we should not be ashamed of and we should be able to talk about it openly. I have suffered in the past and always try to be that person that others know they can come to. It is nothing to be ashamed of or hide away from
I think if you yourself have had issues it can be much easier to help others x
As I have got older my mental health has improved by talking about it. Sometimes it is hard to be honest and open, but it really does make things better in the long run
It’s amazing how much better we feel when we talk about things.
It is so important to talk about mental health. I am glad that talking about is is seen as more acceptable now – even just a few years ago, it wasn’t!
It is so much more accepted but it is still an area that needs more work.
talking to family and friends is such a great help. You only need one person you can trust and rely on to talk about your problems or issues
That’s very true. It can make a big difference.
I’d emphasize self care more. It’s something we sometimes ignore but very important. Scheduling a ME time comes with great benefits
It’s not always easy to do but if we can dedicate time weekly it would be very beneficial.
Working on self care and mental health is so important. Thank you for sharing!
It is very important. Many don’t work on self care enough.
I’m so glad that people in general are opening up more and there’s a lot of help available these days compared to what there was.
That’s very true. It is good that there is a change in the way people are now treating those that are struggling.
Self care is so important and really helps with mental health too. We just need to plan the time which is sometimes hard
I know what you mean. It is sometimes hard to find the time.
It is so important for us to be talking more to others especially when we have mental health or know others who have mental health issues. Your post is so helpful
Thanks so much Ash, the more we talk about it the more people will do it automatically and not give it a second thought.
I think it’s very important to openly talk about mental health. It is a topic of great importance no matter if you are having mental health issues or not.
It really is. Sometimes we don’t even know there is an issue until something triggers you.
It is nice that mental health has become more of an open discussion and resources like these are available. It is important to pursue help for mental health issues.
It is important to get help where we need it.
I so agree when you said that with the pandemic, “the cracks began to appear for many”. And I think almost everybody suffered during the peak of the lockdown. For me, the best to maintain my sanity is to keep engaging with others.
That can really help. Talking whether it’s in person, on the phone, online all help.
Talking to family friends and counsellors about mental health are really great and one can lighten their burden and get all the support they need. Self-care is also so important. Great post!
Thanks Kisha. If we work on self care we automatically start feeling better in ourselves.
I am always open about my mental health and ways that help my mood . Self care and talking helps massively
It really does make a big difference to talk about things troubling us.
I wish that mental health was easy to talk about, but it will still take some time before it’s taken seriously and not seen as a “phase” a person is going through – I’ve struggled with my mental health for 20 years.
It is something that takes time to filter through but some are now more accepting than before. If we all support each other we can make a big difference xxx
Self-care and mental health are very important things for everyone. We should always encourage close ones to feel better and take care.
Yes, it is important to be supportive of anyone that needs us.
Always talk about things it does the world of good. Good on you for writing a post that is a positive step forward for mental health awareness xx
Thanks Melanie. We do need to promote and talk about it so much more than we do. It can really help people x
I think this is such a positive post, the main thing is to keep talking, all of us about all of these issues. Thank you for sharing.
Such brilliant advice. Taking care of mental health is so important! Having someone with whom you can talk openly and freely about everything (whatever is going on in your mind) is a bliss. But, that kind of positive-minded friend is rare in this world 🙁
I think that many people who once shied away from talking about MH are now open to it, ever since the travails of 2020, and are more understanding of people who have this issue. Definitely speaking to trusted people, finding help, and practicing self-care are great tips for anyone languishing any time.
A very good article on mental health much appreciated information
I think that we’ve made a lot of progress over the last 20 years when it comes to mental health. People are more open to how they feel and society at large have acknowledged it is a serious condition that needs to be treated and to hold space and offer help and support for those who are affected.
Such an important subject. Sadly, I still think that too many people believe that admitting that they are struggling is seen as a weakness x
What makes me feel better is talking openly about my problems to my best friends and seeking advice. I find bottling things up makes things worse. Talking with friends is like therapy for me.
I think I actually feel envious of people who have the courage to really speak about their mental health. I have struggled for over 20 years and even just 10 years ago there was still such a stigma that not talking about it has been ingrained in me so that decades of feelings have been bottled up and every few years I will have a breakdown, have some short term help to get me back on track but never been able to open up to anyone where it actually gets to the crux of the issue as it would take more than a short term course of help to really heal
it should be openly talked about, my son has suffered so much for the last 2 years, it does help to talk and talking helps
So many good factors in here but the first step maybe for some that needs to be indentified is that knowing you have one, right?
I think most of us have something that bothers us. It’s just how big a problem it is and how we handle it.
Thank you for spreading awareness about mental health. I agree with you that yes, it’s okay to seek professional advice when needed. 🙂
It’s a shame not all do this as it can really help.
This is very important for everyone to hear, no one is immune to suffering emotionally in their lives
I think we are conditioned not to talk about our mental health and the way forward is talk about how we are feeling more!
It’s so important that we talk openly and honestly about mental health.
Good article its important to let people know their is help and support available although myself having had and still have anxiety and depression its hard to accept or want help