Earlier in the week (Tuesday 10th October) was World Mental Health Day. As part of normalising mental health through openly talking about it, at work I posted something of my own experiences on our internal chat board. The reception was extremely positive - people pleased someone spoke out, feeling seen and so on. So - since mental health isn't just about last Tuesday - I'm reproducing a version of that below, albeit with the work-specifics removed.
For World Mental Health Day I wanted to share something personal. Mental health still has a social stigma attached, and while this is improving rapidly even from five years ago there is a long way to go. So, to make my small contribution, I'm going to tell you a little about myself.
I have suffered from depression throughout my adult life. I'm fortunate enough that this has very rarely reached the more intense levels where I can't get out of bed or worse, but I've certainly had ongoing difficulties with anxiety and feelings of emptiness, loss of interest in life in general and feelings of hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness and others. Even writing this makes me feel like a fraud, since it's not "proper" depression etc etc...
I know that these feelings go in cycles and I've spent a lot of time identifying my own triggers so I know when I need to take a step back and protect myself before I get into a worse state. I also know that it sometimes sneaks up, and I suddenly find myself in a bad way. It's hard and deeply unpleasant at times.
I'm sharing this mostly because I don't think people talk about mental health openly enough, and World Mental Health Day seems like a good day to put something out there. For some people, I hope to show some solidarity. For others, this will be some small insight into a world that is totally alien to you.
On this blog, sometimes I post about mental health. If you'd like to see what I wrote after taking about a month off you can see that here, and you can see all my posts about mental health here. Obvious disclaimer - I am not a medical professional.
Most important - if you're in a similar position, know you're not alone. There are people who share your experiences and are willing to talk. If anyone would like to talk to me, please feel free to reach out. I'm also quite happy for the "but what's it like" conversation if you'd like to ask that.
At work, I suggested a discussion group and it occurs to me that that might be a useful thought in other contexts - either for people who have different experiences they want to share, or for a wider group to talk. If people think that is a good idea do shout and if enough people are interested I'll see if I can get something set up.
Take care everyone.
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