The meaning of this week is very important to me and near to my heart. As of late, I have been struggling and I mean really struggling with emtions and everything that has come with university. I feel like I God purposely put this week at this time to really ground me and show me that I am never alone in what I, or others go threw on a daily basis.
Mental Health Week is this week, and the social media group/company, BuzzFeed, had been doing a fantastic job at really bringing the truth to mental health struggles. This weekend I had a lot of time on my hands to kind of take my time on media and I found threw BuzzFeed's posts that this week was coming up. Now, as a little preface, as of late I have been drowning in depression and anxiety and have not been able to shake it. The whole reason for such a drastic relapse is another story in it's own. I thouroghly watched all of the videos and testimonials that BuzzFeed had posted. Many of them brought me to tears, the type where you throw your head back and wale type-of-thing. It was so real, so raw and at the perfect moment in my life for me where it made me realize that I was not okay and agian, needed to ask for help.
It is not an illness nor something for anyone to put a label on. Mental health should not be said as "mental illness" because you are not sick. It is simply a chemical imbalance in the brain, or a strong emotion that needs to be worked with. The label "illness" made me very uncomfortable to open up to people and talk about what I struggle with because people take it so very negativley. The honest truth is that we are all humans, and all humans cry. Some, just cry a little differently.
I believe that we should all talk about it and make it known that it isn't just you that feels depressed. Millions of other people feel it too. You are never alone. The more we talk about it, the better I feel and the better other people that I have known have felt. Opening your heart and talking about what makes you sad or anxious is, at sometimes, just as good as medication. Speaking with others helps you realize what you may need to work on from another perscpective. One great option is therapy.
Therapy has completely changed my life and helped me do a 360. Someone that isn't baised or objective is a great person to go to. Their judgement isn't clouded by biased information or the care that they have for you. They really want to help you and show you how to help yourself. Since leaving California, I had seased with counsiling or anything of that sort and I noticed a big difference and that I was really negatively questioning myself. I thank the Lord for if he hadn't lead me to the videos I watched this weekend, I wouldn't have said, "enough is enough" or "you are worth it". Being depressed is debilitating and scary. Being scared of yourself is the worst thing to feel when you are vulnerable.
This week is an important one. One that I will recongnize. One that this blog will show. Through out this week, I want all of you, dear readers, to educate yourself about mental health. I want you to look to the Lord and finally realize that the feelings will go away. I want you to look to Him and search for who you are. I want you to talk about your feelings or search for help. I want you to send me emails of your story. Lastly, I want you to love yourself, no matter what your brain says. God loves you, you are not alone and mental health can be a positive thing. Things will get better.
Until Next Time,
Madison
XOXO
