“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” – John Green
Mental health has a lot of stigmas and boxes that people are put into. Here are some things that people often get wrong about mental health.
- Assuming you have to always be sad to have depression
- You have to shy and introverted to have anxiety
- Thinking that mental illnesses are a personal choice and that you can will them away
- Thinking that all mental illness is the same, and not realizing they can manifest if many ways
- Assuming that recovery means that you never experience the symptoms again
- Presuming all mentally ill people and people that go to therapy have had a severely traumatic childhood
- Thinking there is a one size fits all approach to recovery, and that the same approach fits all disorders
- Believing mental illnesses are a sign of weakness when in reality it requires so much strength
- Assuming PTSD can only happen if you have been to war
If you are struggling there are so many resources out there for you to get help. Mental health is a complicated puzzle that simultaneously has multiple solutions and no solution. Do what you need to do to find your personal solution.