MENTAL HEALTH IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

Metal health carries such weight as a term, and yet it is such a common factor of everyday life. One we need to stop hiding and bring out into the open as a part of life, for many.
 
What is mental health?
According to the oxford dictionary; Mental health is a person's overall state of well-being that includes their emotional, psychological, and social health. It affects how people think, feel, and behave. 
 
And this from the Australian Bureau of Statistics:
‘One in five Australian adults experience a mental illness every year. About 45 per cent of Australian adults will be affected by mental illness at some time in their life. Anxiety, mood disorders (such as depression) and substance use disorders are the most common mental illnesses experienced by Australian adults’.
 
What’s worse, is the percentage of people who are ‘quietly suffering’ and not seeking professional help, whilst I’m not able to find the stats, I know from everyday conversations that this number is high.  Add to that those seeking professional help and feeling like they must hide it from others as the shaming of it is too much.
 
There are a lot of roadblocks to getting support. And yet, it’s one of the greatest acts of self-love, to let someone in who can show you the way.
 
Finding the right person to help you as you navigate these challenges alone can be a saving grace. It’s important that you are not made to feel like there’s something wrong; rather there’s aspects of life that are needing attending to, to then be able to return to a deeper sense of who you are, of what life is about, of how to thrive and not just survive. This anecdote comes to mind...
 
“A man asked a gardener why his plants grew so beautifully. The gardener said: “I don’t force them to grow. I remove what stops them”.
 
Another aspect to consider are those struggling with mental health speak to their doctor and are prescribed SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) medications which definitely are needed at times. Unfortunately, medication is not a stand-alone solution, as the cause still requires attendance. However, what can and does happen is the medication has the person feel they are ok again, and therefore there's no longer a call to address the triggers, and no core changes are made.
 
Having experienced both anxiety and depression earlier in my life, and I know how crippling it can be. I also know that there’s so much help on offer for us to heal and reclaim our true north. That the very feelings we have that we are struggling with are in fact neon signs alerting us towards the way home, back to our core selves. Back to a place of joy, harmony, love, truth, purpose and so much more.
 
When we see those markers as a call to redirect our path, like a lighthouse indicating the way back to shore, a point of return where we need a little ‘light’ to show us the way.. we can truly transform our life. What gets us there, is our willingness to look within, to work with our vulnerabilities, to be willing to be seen, to be open to what is the awareness that opens new unseen doors to freedom. The point is – we have to do the work.
 
There’s a quote that I love by Elizabeth Gibert that sums it up well…
 
“I've never seen any life transformation that didn't begin with the person in question finally getting tired of their own bullshit.”
 
When we have had enough of the struggle, that is in fact the first and most powerful step – as we will do what it takes. From there it’s being ok to be seen as you are, where you are, able to share what it is that requires healing, or attendance. It’s a combination of two aspects; learning to reclaim your true self and letting go of what stops your garden from naturally flourishing (to call on the above anecdote shared).
 
The first step is to show up.
 
Do your research, read the testimonials, meet with your counsellor or therapist, see if it feels a match. Do it for you. Do it for those around you, for generations to come, for past events to stop, to leave your greatest legacy – have your why. And lastly, be brave, the rewards are endless.

Much love,
​Lara XO

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