I am taking part in Blogtober 2022 and will be writing posts with various themes/prompts throughout October. Today's prompt is: Mental health!
My dad was here a few weeks ago and something came on the TV about mental health awareness and he said when he was my age there was no such thing as worrying about your mental health, you just got on with things. We came to the conclusion that people did suffer with mental health problems, they just didn't talk about them. He is from the generation of keep your chin up and just get on with things.
1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year and 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem like anxiety and depression in any given week in England! Out of the four of us in my close family three of us have had mental health problems.
Ellie suffered with her mental health a lot a few years ago. It all stemmed from being bullied at school. She ended up being diagnosed with social anxiety after lots of appointments and chats with specialist people. I used to feel so sad for Ellie. All she wanted was to be part of a group and have lots of friends but the mean girls had other ideas and she was always left out of things. If you know Ellie now you would have never have guessed she ever had any mental health problems, it turns out moving house and a fresh start in a new school was what she needed. She still isn't the most confident person but she is getting there.
I have suffered from anxiety off and on for my whole life. I have never been the most confident person and I am a born worrier. My doctor has said I have mild PTSD from when my girls were diagnosed with their heart defects and had open heart surgery. I have learned to live with it and thankfully the girls are not having check ups as often so I am not reminded about it.
Too often, mental health problems are treated as a taboo subject, something not to be talked about like people of my dad's generation. However, mental health affects us all and we should feel able to talk about it. I don't think we could have got through everything as a family if we hadn't have been able to talk. The girls had teachers at school, as much as I hated being in hospital with my girls there was people to talk through my worries with and as a family the 4 of us are good at talking about our mental health. In fact Becky now thinks she is an expert since she has had lots of training at the care home where she works. hehehe
Do you talk to people about your mental health?
I really wish we were more prepared to deal with mental health problems. I know what you mean about the effects of bullying on children. It's horrible to watch. Stay strong and keep sharing.
ReplyDeleteI was chatting with my daughter about this. I said it used to be a taboo subject but it should be talked about and not feel embarrassed over. She replied a lot if people in her class are open about it. Which is great if the younger ones are being open
ReplyDeleteSo important to be able to talk about mental health and normalize seeking support when you need it. Glad Ellie was able to have your support!
ReplyDeleteI love that talking is being encouraged. I too come from a generation when talking about your feelings and depression were quite taboo. We need to teach the younger generation that depression and more mental health is a lot more common than people think and just being kind and talking can help a lot. I'm so glad that Ellie is doing so much better now. I'm sure she will continue to improve. xx
ReplyDeleteThings have really changed over the generations haven't they? I'm glad our children are growing up in a time when mental health is far more talked about. I know sadly, life's harder for them in other ways though. So glad she's happier in new school and area, it's horrible to see them unhappy. I can sympathise with PTSD as I have it too for similar reasons. Lots of love xxx
ReplyDeleteI do talk about it a lot now more than I used to, it used to be admitting failure and I was terrified to admit I might have PND when I had it because I'd always wanted to be a mother.
ReplyDeleteThis is a timely post. We all deal with different mental issues and if untreated, those can become worst. From job stress to everyday life, there are situations that everyone cannot handle. I found blogging as my way of keeping healthy.
ReplyDeleteBeing bullied is something I have experienced as a child at school. I am happy that my child's school educate students on this topic, so they know how to deal. It is better than those days.