Monday 10th October 2022 is World Mental Health Day.
photo credit John Parlovitz
We all know that any day can be a bad mental health day for ourselves, or for those we love and care for; days when our mental health is affected or our mental resilience is challenged.
But what I like about these specific Days is the collective voice, the collective stories, the collective push to raise Awareness, to get people's voices heard and to make waves, to make change happen.
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I see so many posts about Mental Health training and tips etc and though extremely necessary and invaluable material - what I would really like to see more of is:
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The fundamental knowledge of emotionally beneficial language; Certain common responses we say are not helpful and can really hurt..."at least she had a good life, at least he's not dead, at least you can marry again, at least you can get another dog............"
The fundamental confidence to be emotionally truthful; "How can I tell you I'm sad, when you tell me all the time that I should be over it?"
The fundamental need for acceptance;
"I am NOT you, I am who I am."
The fundamental need for validation.
"This is my experience, not yours. This is my breakup/grief journey not yours. I feel what I feel."
When all of these fundamentals are in place - we can begin to reduce or erase judgment, we can begin to reduce or erase the need to 'self-medicate', we can begin to reduce or erase the need to pretend.
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To really embrace all that it is to be human we need to accept sadness, grief, heartbreak as Normal & Natural. We all need to know and believe that It Is OK Not To Be Ok.
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Active listening is key.
Acceptance is key.
Connection is key.
Validation is Key.
Dialogue is key.
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We are hearing a lot about the Mental Health crisis that we are in the midst of and there's a huge push on suicide prevention too; both are both clear signs something has to change.
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That time is now.
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If you are struggling in any way please reach out to someone. All most of us need is a listening ear - but validation, connection & hope are really important too.
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