Things to normalise- mental health edition… what did you figure by it?
Are we doing something wrong when it comes to our mental health?
Or are we simply unaware?
That’s for us to decide….
Normalising-
We live in a culture and environment surrounded by many preconceived notions of how things should be. It’s a place where showing your emotions is often considered a weakness and crying the sign of fragility. Furthermore mental health issues like anxiety and depression are still not acknowledged and most importantly accepted by many.
It’s a world where mental health-related aspects are hushed. People are touchy about the topic and avoid talking about it out in the open. Where people struggling with their mental health issues are sceptical about acknowledging it fearing criticism from the community. In a world full of all the challenges some things need to be normalised. Despite the growing community which is striving tremendously to eradicate mental health-related stigma.
There is a need to normalise a lot of things that we don’t usually do. The need to ponder upon whether we are being in touch with our emotions or shying away from them.
Here are a few things that need to be normalised-
1. Not having everything figured out-
The fast-paced world makes you feel as if you are lagging. It makes you feel as if you are falling behind your friends, peers, and the rest of the world. Normalize not having everything figured out. Understand that you cannot or rather are not supposed to figure everything out at once. Don’t burden yourself with the constant pressure and push yourself over the edge. Tell yourself that it is okay even if haven’t figured out what you want to do in life. Or if you are not in the “I have it sorted- life” that you wanted to be.
2. Normalising asking for help-
Asking for help is something that people avoid when they are struggling, be it in the workplace or relationship. Seeking help does not make you weak or diminish your value. It is completely alright to want or need to seek help. It is believed that there should be a balance between dependence and independence. And dependence on your trusted ones is not a bad thing. normalise seeking help to deal with things that you are unable to handle on your own. Be it from a professional or your trusted ones.
3. It is okay to be afraid-
Life is pretty scary and it becomes difficult sometimes to face it. It becomes tough to be vulnerable when people don’t exactly understand where we are coming from. But understand that being afraid is normal. There may be many things which scare us but understand that being afraid is okay. Be it from taking that big step in your relationship or in your career or simply making drastic changes in your life. It is okay to be afraid.
4. Normalising facing failures
Failures are not pleasant. They hurt and make us question our self-worth. That needs to change. Undoubtedly people face failures in life and there is a need to normalise that. We need to understand that failures just like success are also integral in life as it teaches resilience. What is important is that you build the strength to get back up.
5. Making mental health a priority-
Mental health is not given the same priority as physical health and it is high time we changed that. People need to acknowledge that the mental health of individuals matters and it should be made a priority. There is a need to make people aware that paying attention to one’s mental health is normal and should be encouraged.
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