Today is an important day. It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay. A day dedicated to discussing mental health, and continuing to break down the stigma surrounding mental health. And today I ask a few things from you…
1. Ask someone you love how they are doing today, and truly mean it. Listen to their response. Be an ear for someone who could be in need.
2. If you’re asked that question, answer honestly, even if it’s difficult. That conversation is the first step in healing, you’re not alone and you are loved.
3. Be kind to strangers. You never know who could be going through a personal battle right now. Mental health doesn’t discriminate. There’s no need to risk pushing someone to their breaking point.
Mental health struggles are very close to my heart, as growing up I lost someone extremely close to me to suicide. People argue that suicide is selfish, which is false. People in that state of mind believe they are doing their loved ones a favour. That they would be better off without them. Which is a tragic way to look at yourself and the world. A tragic outlook that can be changed with the right help. Whether it be medication, therapy, meditation, exercise, or a combo of all those things. There are a ton of resources available for you to aid your mind in it’s recovery.
I’ve talked on the air here briefly about my own struggles with mental health. It’s been a battle that I’ve been fighting for a good chunk of my adult life, and continue to do so. It wasn’t easy seeking help, I couldn’t help but looking at it like I was admitting defeat. In fact, I think my darkest day, was the day I went to get help. But through therapy and help of loved ones I realized that’s not the case. I now live a significantly happier life thanks to their help. You wouldn’t be embarrassed to go to the doctor if you broke your leg, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed to seek help when you break your brain.
I have this tattoo to remind myself the importance of mental health. I wake up and look down at it every morning as a constant reminder of what can happen if you allow mental health to consume your life.
“A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life.”
- Tyler
