you have a mental health problem? don't tell anyone...i'm kidding! speak up, be brave and be heard! beat that stigma!

This post idea has been swimming around my head for a while now, but after hearing a story the other week I felt even more pushed to write it. Someone I know has recently been having difficulties mental health wise, she's currently out of work and has been receiving help from support mental health people (I'm sure that isn't there technical title but we'll roll with it) who have been visiting her at her house to help reassure her, help her, give her advice and guidance. The people who have been going to see her have been supporting her with day to day things, for example going to the job centre. I've heard that signing on to job seekers allowance is an absolute nightmare. One of the support people (do we call them people or workers? I don't know), you know the ones whos job it is to support people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health told her to not tell the job centre about her current situation, her current state of health. I mean really?! I for one was shocked that they told her not to tell them about it. I mean there is no wonder there is such a stigma surrounding the subject, hiding it only makes the stigma bigger and bigger. We shouldn't have to be silenced!

Work is a huge part of life, but so is our health. I know not everyone is comfortable with saying 'you know what, I'm struggling.' 'I suffer from Anxiety'. 'I suffer from Panic Attacks'. 'I suffer from Depression'. 'I suffer from Bipolar'. 'I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder'. 'I suffer from Schizophrenia'. I've found my life and my health improve so much more by just being honest, not hiding from what's wrong/what's currently happening in my life. Don't get me wrong, not everyone is supportive. I've received remarks like 'what do you have to worry about?', 'what do you have to panic about?'. I've heard remarks many times like 'well what does she have to be depressed about?'. It isn't as simple as that, mental health is complex. It can be an absolute nightmare!

We live in a world now, where mental health is stigmatized (is that a word? I hope so) so much it is ridiculous. We shouldn't live in a world like this. You wouldn't hide away and be ashamed if you'd broken a bone or if you'd got flu, or any kind of illness that you can see would you? So why should we have to be ashamed and hide away if we have a mental illness? The answer to that is we shouldn't.

The truth is people don't want to know or understand unless it is affecting them. So is it the fact of they are ignorant? Or completely unaware of what is happening to others and could quite easily happen to them. We all have mental health, every single one of us and sometimes it gets poorly too. Unfortunately though it lasts alot longer than a stomach bug. Your mind is always there, it isn't going anywhere.

If you'd got a headache would you keep that to yourself? Period pains? Ear ache? Tooth ache? Pulled muscle? On the scale of things it is all health and it should all be talked about. Be open, speak up!

I've even gone as far as to add it into my personal statement on my CV, is that crazy? Maybe so, I'm scared about it. I'm scared of being judged but I'm also scared of lying. I don't want to live a lie. Anxiety affects my every day life, it's great (can you smell the sarcasm?). Some days I'm better than others, other days not so much. I'm not a robot, I'm not programmed a certain way, I'm human. I'm not invincible. I don't want to lie to people, I want people to understand me. I want to be able to get better, to improve my way of life. Will I improve that by being silenced? No, I don't think I will. I believe that regardless of me writing about mental health in my personal statement (it has affected me for around 7 years), there will still be a person with a heart behind the computer screen or opening the post with my CV and cover letter. I believe that someone out there will believe in me and just give me a chance.

♥