According to data from the IHME’s Global Burden of Disease (Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation), about 13% of the global population – around 971 million people – suffer from one kind of mental disorder. World Mental Health Day is on October 10 and as our understanding of mental health grows, we grow along with it. While we’ve learned a lot, there’s still so much more we can do to evolve as a society. Open dialogue about mental health can help everyone heal. What people don’t realize is that there are numerous ways to effectively treat mental illness and you can live a normal lifestyle by learning how to properly manage your mental health disorder symptoms. It can be scary to open up about mental health, particularly if you’ve been struggling with it for a long time. Yet doing so will allow the people in your life who love and care about you to be supportive and help you.
Sharing your stories can be an opportunity to speak up your thoughts and feelings, help others by providing hope and encouragement and also help break down the stigma around depression and anxiety.
You’ll help reduce the stigma. The more people who raise their hands and say they’ve experienced depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders, the less fear someone else will have to admit they need help and seek treatment. You’ll feel heard. Talking to someone you know about what’s going on can relieve some of the anxiety or stress you may be feeling. While your friends and family aren’t medical professionals, they are there to support you and know you well enough to be trusted with your emotions. While it’s natural to want to bury your feelings and pretend everything’s fine, talking openly can help you find relief and begin to work through your struggles.
1. Be patient and listen deeply: Give the person all the time they need to share their story. Remember to listen verbally and with your body language. Nodding, making eye contact, and expressing phrases of validation will all help in shaping you as an effective active listener. 2. Validate! Do not try to give advice: You are not meant to “fix” the person who you are listening to. Make the person feel understood. Say the following phrases as you see fit: • You are not alone • You have every right to be sad; that was a traumatic experience. Avoid invalidating responses such as “you’ll be fine” or “it could be worse”, as these types of responses only minimize and dismiss the person’s feelings. 3. Refer to professional resources: If the person sharing is interested in other resources to get help, or if the situation becomes too much for you to handle. 4. Take care of yourself: Listening to another person’s mental health story can be challenging and quite emotional. Remember to check in often with yourself and how you are feeling as you listen. Practice the self-care throughout the process of listening to another individual’s mental health journey. If we all are able to open our eyes, minds, and hearts to the people around us, we may notice ways that we can all help each other, starting out with simply listening. Listen deeply. Listen openly. Validate others’ experiences. Shatter the stigma around having vulnerable conversations around our real, valid mental health experiences!
Reminder
EVERYDAY IS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY!
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Let's do this!