There was a time when talking about Mental Health was discouraged. People were pidgeon-holed and the subject was not raised.
Women who felt depressed were told to ‘take a Bex and have a good lie down’. Men had to hide their feelings as it was not considered ‘manly’ to show emotion. A man who showed emotion was considered weak.
However, mental health is a huge issue today. Stress and anxiety is wide spread and is a particular problem in the workplace. Domestic violence, sexual abuse, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are all on the increase. We need to do something about it and stop closing our minds to the importance of a ‘healthy mind’.
To some extent it is still difficult for people to admit they are struggling because they don’t want others to judge them.
Make your mental health & well being a priority
Fortunately, there are organisations that are spreading the word to educate society on the importance of mental health.
The spotlight on Mental Health is ‘Mental Health Week’ with World Mental Health Day is October 10.
Workplaces in particular are encouraged to provide Mental Health Awareness programs for their staff.
Mental Health Australia is promoting a campaign asking people to make a personal mental health promise to themselves at the website https://1010.org.au. The aim is to get people to realise that their mental health and well-being starts with them.
Make yourself a promise to look after you mental health as well as your physical health?
Make yourself a promise to look after you #mentalhealth as well as your physical health,Click To TweetDO SOMETHING FOR YOU – If you are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, however mild. seek help. If you know someone who is struggling with mental health encourage them to seek professional help.
#MentalHealthWeek there is no shame in asking for help.Click To Tweet
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6 Comments
Another great post Sue. Mental illness is a reality and we are lucky that it is no longer kept in the dark. Thank you for sharing on #wednesdayswisdom
Yes it is such a step forward that society even mentions mental health now. Still more work to be done but moving forward nonetheless. Thanks for commenting and being a great co-host at #WednesdaysWisdom.
Thank you so much for sharing. We need to break the stigma of talking about mental health. Why do we treat anxiety or depression any differently than high blood pressure or arthritis? Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and tips. Sharing with many!
We keep saying the stigma has gone but it hasn’t. We need to treat mental health as an illness which needs treatment and people need to be constantly encouraged to ask for help – especially men. Society has made us feel that we are inadequate if we aren’t coping but God, life is tough sometimes and a friend or therapist are just what we need – without judgement.
It is true that we talk about it a bit more easily, but as you said, Sue, there is still a lot of work to be done. Many patients who seek help do not start or soon stop their medication – mostly because there is still such a stigma about taking medication for mental illness.
I couldn’t agree more Margaretha – still a long way to go and I think Men find it even harder to open up. We just have to keep working on making people feel comfortable talking about their issues.