P.S. this one's a bit of a personal one, something I've grown to be passionate about, nothing morbid or drastic but it's close to the heart, and I'd love it if you could bare with and read till the end. comments as always are welcome, and if you or someone you know has been through the same or similar jot me a note, hope you enjoy x
Did you hear? A beautiful day is just around the corner, know which one? Saturday October 10th! Want to know why? Well, it's none other than World Mental Health Day, woooop!!
Why am I so excited? Well, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression around 4 years ago just a few months after I had meningitis and had travelled up for my freshers year at University. (I probably should have waited longer than a week of recovery after having meningitis, to start university but hey ho). I found it hard to adjust, I felt alienated from all others, I made wrong decisions and my mental health got worse. However with the right guidance and help I managed to get on a more stable ground, (I cannot thank the people who had supported me enough).
The Depression and Anxiety didn't stay at bay they have always been with me and have worsened again over the past few years, with prolonged guidance and a few months of medication, I was back on the right track. I still have horrible days now, moments of worthlessness and panic and anxiety attacks, but I am on the mend and am so greatful to all of the people who helped me, to councillors and doctors, and my family who have stuck by me through it all, but also to my friends. Friends are people who do not have an obligation to stick with you or to understand when the path to mental illness occurs, it's a constant battle and your friends can often suffer with you, when your will is so weak. However there are those few friends who are unbelievably understanding, and caring and patient, true friends who are in my eyes my chosen family, and I am, well I'm not sure I can even express just how greatful I am, if you're reading this, thanks guys!!x
Before my friends encouragement and family support, I thought, I was a failure because of my mental illness. I saw myself in a negative light, (and still do sometimes) however I am more aware of my mental health, and so are the people who surround me. I am also aware that I am not alone, thousands of others have either anxiety or depression or both, and thousands of others have mental illnesses that you or I may have never even heard of.
That being said, We're all still human, no one with a mental illness deserves to be judged, we all deserve to be understood, we do not deserve to be locked away, we and our illnesses deserved to be heard and brought to light, we do not deserved to be mocked or abused in any way, we all deserve the respect and care we need, we are not a different species, we have a mental illness.
Awareness and understanding is ridiculously important for anyone and everyone, mental health awareness days and weeks enable this to occur. It is important to understand more and to realise an individual with a mental illness is still a human, and should not feel alienated in any way, shape or form.
I encourage any and everyone one of you to participate in any mental health awareness days or events, to help understand, just by understanding and being aware you're helping to stop stereotyping and stigmatisation and are helping all to live in a better society. By being aware you can also help an individual to identify when they have a mental illness and this in turn could help turns someone's life around.
If you have read all the way through this post, thank you, thank you so much.
If you decide to look up mental health, and/or go to an awareness event, you're beyond fantastic!!
If you decide to not call someone a retard or crazy, you're beautifully brilliant!
If you have helped anyone with a mental illness anywhere, even if it's just taking the time to listen to their stories, I could probably kiss you, for at that moment in time, you made someone realise that someone cares, and that they are not an alien or deformed or wrong, they're human, and they deserve to be here.
Thank you, so much for reading.
This post means a lot, it's the first time I've spoken about my mental illness to anyone other than my close circle, but I'm proud to be raising awareness and letting others know they are not alone.
I hope you enjoyed, and look forward to my next post, (All photos used within this Blog Post are selfies) would love anyone to comment, or get in touch, to share their story, most importantly to be aware and not feel alone.
Frenchie x
