Something that’s really a bummer when you speak anything about your mental health, is the assumption that we automatically wish it off or wanna overcome it. While I acknowledge that most of them surely wanna be supportive and say something to “comfort” us or just trying being nice… it personally rubs me in a wrong way.
If you’ve been a friend or a long-timer here, you know that I’m one to speak freely about my mental health; the issues, the effect on my body, everything. However, while of course i’m not defined by my anxiety and depression, this is very much a part of me — and I’m accepting of it. That is something that will probably remain with me forever, and may be part of why I react in some ways more than others.
Something that people don’t fully understand sometimes.. is that one might just wanna rant about it or speak your mind about how you’re feeling and thinking. I don’t need you to tell me anything supportive about my “condition” or that you’re wishing me to get better; I just want the liberty of expressing myself and need you to listen me. As what a friend would do with any other problem..
Related; the story about that one guy who wished me to “thrive to get off my meds (X)
It’s absolutely possible that you as an individual aren’t as accepting as I am toward your mental health; wishing it away or to overcome it. But that doesn’t mean that the other person that you are talking with is, too. If you don’t know their position or what they need out of the conversation, it’s better to ask them straight away than trying to be supportive and helpful in a way that actually does more harm than good for that person.
I describe my anxiety/depression as an annoying friend who shows up from time to time and just crashes and couch surfs. At first, I thought it was horrifying! Who is this terrible person?! Why ME??
But by now I’m super used to him – whose that? Oh that’s just Frank. Yeah, what can we do about Frank? We just put up with him.
That’s quite a nice way to see it!
I agree that when it first hits it takes you a while to get used to this new normal and whatnot.. but one of the reasons why it’s so hard to go get help is that we get attached to this fucker 🙊