Your Mental Health Vs. Mental Illness
Mental health is crucial to everybody’s lives. The mental state is a reflection of what we project through how we speak, how we socialize, our hygienic stance, and even our eating habits. Our mental health is who we are. When we think happy thoughts, we become happy. When we think of something that happened in the past, what do we become? Maybe sad. There are many avenues to mental health such as mental health vs mental illness. There is not only a stigma to the word mental health but also an unintentional stereotype. Where the word is viewed as a sole word “illness”. Which can pertain to Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, etc. Mental health is the default state of being, where body and mind conjoin in the same space of existence called “you.” It’s the way we as humans cope with breakups, loss of a job, or loss of a loved one or even a moment of being overwhelmed. It’s all about your reactions/coping. If we do not address our state of being in anger, sadness or being overwhelmed it can eventually lead to a “ Mental Illness” such as chronic anxiety or depression from the lack of directly addressing the “mental health” issues, get it ?
It is crucial to understand that some mental illnesses are and have been inherited genetically and through their lives encounter stress which in turn causes that significant person to become susceptible to it. The resulting end being some kind of trauma . Of course our environment and how we can or can not endure and adapt to it reveals what our mental health is revealing and lack of education to handle such factors.
Due to the lack of understanding and self acknowledgement of the situation one of susceptible trends leads to the inconsolable route of suicide.
Suicide has been the tenth leading cause of death throughout United States . Let alone there’s drug overdose and death from excessive alcohol intake, both which researchers refer to as “Death of Despair”. Seeking comfort in external things like alcohol leads directly to this despair and becomes a conditioned habit. Substances are but of one in a plethora of possible vices of course, but it is the most dominant. Suicidal ideation surges when you’re physically imbing depressants.
Throughout this year we as a community have endured the unprecedented uncomfortable reality of Covid-19 . We all have experienced the societal modifications of existence thanks to this virus one billionth the size of men and women. Stress comes to mind for the majority of the population, but torture is a descriptor for the rest. This alteration from the norm has created its own difficulty for them, engulfing many into a sea of discomfort. There was a study done by the CDC to analyze and summarize the results of mental health throughout this pandemic where we continue to view and adapt to. It concluded that out of “5142 surveyed respondents between June 24 and 30th” .
“While 10.7 percent of respondents overall considered suicide in the previous day , 25.5 percent of those between 18- 24 reported doing so.”
CDC’s research found that “13.3 percent of respondents said they have turned to substance abuse, including alcohol, and prescriptions or illicit drugs to cope with the stress from the pandemic”
I personally believe mental health needs more light shined upon it. The government can only do so much, but the problem lies more so in connecting with people. Whereas per example Politico via CDC research utilizes phraseology like, “suggesting and recommending,” so called “ideas for what could be important for those going through mental illness, but come on, where’s the personableness? The compassion and understanding that is a very imperative matter, our mental health shapes our lives. How can we possibly help one of our people through just an article even ironically the one I’m typing?
We are a unified community or at least that’s what we are told right?
Let’s help each other again get noticed and acknowledged by (especially) having resources such as professionals go out to our community. Such as work, schools, and churches. It’s an unfortunate stigma that receiving support makes one weak or burdening. We need remembrance of what we really need, the importance of understanding and compassion for one another. Unfortunately there is much judgment in the world due to the lack of understanding compassion and overuse of confusion or fear.
There’s is always a way for improving and progressing from wherever we may be in the mental state either being health or illness (different factors vary with illness). It’s called reconditioning. To build or change your daily habits mentally and therefore in actions. That’s the most basic factor to changing lives. There has been much proven research that proves that if you do it in the correct manner that if you begin with 21 days your way of thinking will significantly improve. Which in my personal experience, how you act towards yourself and others around you coupled with gratitude, plays a major role as well, in the psychological recovery of the “self.” These concepts aren’t new, anyone from Tony Robbins to Jordan Peterson have published books, articles and even videos about the very manner and dedication necessary to re-educate the mind.
If you or anyone you know are experiencing suicidal ideations please never feel alone as you are not , it may sound completely elusive but that feeling you are feeling is only temporary . Don't allow your situation to become your identity. YOU ARE NOT ALONE .
SUICIDE HOTLINE: (800)–273–8255
Crisis Text line : Text Hello to 741741
