We are getting better at talking about mental health but do others truly understand the impact of decreased mental and emotional health on someone’s life?
We know with a broken leg, we would be limited with movement, restricted on where we can go and what we can do alone, it might even affect our mental health, more often than not you have an idea of timeline of how it will improve, people understand and can empathise with your sitiation.
A clear timeline is a not a luxury afforded to someone living with mental ill health, our mind space and decision making capacity can be reduced, we feel unable to tell others, we are unable to cope with daily living and extra challenges can send us into a tail spin without warning, we spend our days confused about who we are snd why we can’t stop it, we self punish, there is no end in sight and often people misunderstand us completely so we do it all alone. Telling someone leaves us vulnerable to rejection, ridicule, someone reaffirming we aren’t that bad, they can’t see it so it must not be true.
Over 4 years on from seeking help I still have situational hangovers from my depression that csn be triggered in varioys ways. I still struggle with memory loss, a default position of disappointment, not always able to cope or manage situations in the right way.
I am one of the lucky ones who developed a tool which helps me reflect and understand what has gone on, how it impacted me, how I reacted and what I can do to make changes in the future. Because life isn’t perfect, bad days still happen and I use them to make my future better.