Many people don’t realize this but mental and physical health go hand in hand. But it only makes sense since your brain controls our whole entire body. When we feel happiness, our body gets warm and fuzzy. With sadness we fell pains in our chests. So why is it so hard for some people to believe that our mental health makes our physical health better or makes it deteriorate?
For decades, society has deemed mental health as something insignificant. Maybe it was just the fact that they were afraid of strength in numbers. If people got treated, they could band together and create an unstoppable force.
Maybe they thought it wasn’t a real thing, maybe they thought it was just something inside of our heads. Well of course it’s something in our heads...
it’s called Mental Health for a reason.
I’ve had my own battle with mental health for about 12 years now. There wasn’t necessarily any signs, it just progressively got more and more present. What started off as me just staying in bed all day and not wanting to do anything, turned into something much more complex. I lost all motivation to do the things I loved, I slowly started to pull away from the people that loved and cared for me the most, but the worst thing that happened...
I started losing myself.
I forgot that I was this funny, smart, and caring guy. I forgot that I could make an impact in this world if I really put my mind to it. Due to my mental health declining, so did my body.
I started feeling more fatigued, I wasn’t eating or drinking as much, and just like my brain, my body was giving up as well. I felt as if it was a losing battle, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Some of the things that helped me were finding the things I loved doing before my depression took over.
Singing, cooking, playing video games. I even turned to God for spiritual guidance in order to make sure that I didn’t stray too far from the path I was meant to be on. Things that seemed simple, were the very reasons I’m still around today.
But all because that worked for me, doesn’t mean it’ll work for everyone.
Maybe people need silence in order to ground themselves again, maybe people need human interaction in order to feel, well funny enough, human again. Maybe they just need someone to sit and listen and make them feel heard and understood. Therapy is also a viable option, however it may not work for everyone.
Check in with your loved ones, see how their doing. Ask them about their day, ask them if they wanna go out and get some fresh air. These small gestures will make people feel immensely happy.
Who knows, it could be that simple talk or holding out your hand and supporting them, that makes them want to stay one more day. If you yourself have a battle with mental health, please don’t be afraid to reach out to someone. You are not too much, you are not a burden, you are just someone who is a bit lost looking to be found again.
