Do we still need to talk about our own mental health even if we don't think anything is wrong?
We are slowly (but surely) moving out of the age in which mental health is taboo, awkward, and confusing to talk about. Instead, the newest threshold we must cross into comfortably and beneficially discussing the subject is knowing when, what, and how to talk about our own insecurities and feelings.
Yeah I just said feelings, or the F-word according to the show Malcolm in the Middle, with understandable reasoning. Malcolm in the Middle was about a house of 4 (eventually 5) pugnacious teens each vying for dominance over their other family members. One way they did so was by absolutely never mentioning their feelings because, according to them and many others, feelings connote and equate to weakness. This post is about discussing the effects events have on our own psyche, as opposed to reading between the lines of when conversing with someone else (that will be for a later time).
So, do we still need to talk about our own mental health even if we don't think anything is wrong? Let me answer that question with another: Who decides the right time or circumstance or symptom that points needing help? Who tells us when to stop driving the golf cart so that we know not to hit the pool. No one but ourselves. Unlike physical injuries, those inside our head, can't be recognized by anyone except us. And often times, we get so used to building up more and more barriers against exposing our true feelings, we often forget they're even there until they break.
Some how, society has convinced us that unless you want to hurt yourself or someone else, there's no need to mention that anything is wrong. That's where the Speak Before movement comes into play. We all need to learn to speak about how we feel before it's too late to do so. Before the only person who will listen is assigned to us by a court.
Lastly, it doesn't hurt to ask. As I said earlier, there's an emotion accompanying every event, and while people often believe no one cares about how they feel, that doesn't mean they don't feel. We don't need to pry it out of them, sit behind them while they lay down, or pull out an ink blot on paper. Just say, "and what do you feel about that?" and be open to answering when someone asks you the same thing.
Be sure to look out for my next post on mental health about recognizing the deeper meaning when listening to others. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment and subscribe below!!
Resources:
Golf cart GIF Link
Malcolm in the Middle Episode:
