As human beings we are constantly changing. There is potential every day to learn, adapt, alter and reinvent ourselves. Our cells are continuously dying and regenerating. Physically, mentally, spiritually and even on a subconscious level, we shed the part of ourselves we no longer need. We can choose to close and welcome new stories, experiences and chapters in our lives and not remain in a blissful comfort zone for longer than is necessary. We can choose to remain in an immature state where we do not learn or experience any new things; sit back allowing our minds and bodies to naturally process. Or we can actively contribute to our own fate; to step into our own skin and purposefully dictate and manifest the outcomes that we desire because where there is a will, there is a way. The mind is not atomic like the brain, it is formless, it is not made up of matter, it cannot be measured against scientific instruments like the brain can. By its very own nature it is knowing and aware, it has the potential to reflect and engage in all objects. Causality is inescapable; you get back what you send out and this is a beautiful thing. Practicing living with an open mind, a lightness of heart, kindness, acceptance, passion, curiosity allows us to inadvertently control the way our lives unfold.
I have been confronted with mental illness in the deepest ways, both experiencing it myself and having watched those around me suffer from it and it can be heartbreaking to watch people you know become someone they are not. It is an illness which can cripple you; taking over your mind, body and soul. It came at the most random time in my life, at the time I felt extremely lucky to have an amazing group of friends and family around me, yet at the same time, I could not escape this sense of emptiness, isolation and vulnerability which at times can take away my happiness, smile, ambition, personality, and willingness to stand and fight. I would experience panic attacks, a sensation that felt like my mind was floating away from my body. It can come when you have nothing to feel sad about which can often make it worse because you have no reason to feel this way, yet the feelings you feel are so intense you cannot escape it. You don’t feel it is a real problem compared to real issues that people face and therefore you don’t talk about it. You don’t seek help and as a result the illness almost becomes your friend and your confidant. Mental illness can make an individual feel completely isolated and marginalized, feeling as if they have no connections in the world and this can lead one to fall through the cracks. You are exposed to the most intense dark emotions that can mentally and physically casts’ a dark shadow around you. But I have also realized the fact you have the ability to experience these dark emotions means you also have the ability to experience the deepest pleasures in life.
I am going to have some real talk today. Mental illness is such a prevalent issue which affects so many people; it does not discriminate against your culture, ethnicity, color of your skin, your religion, your values, what you ate for breakfast. The fact is even people who treat mental illness can themselves suffer from mental illness. I think it is time to neutralize the stigma attached to mental health and encourage people to talk about. The first step is to educate ourselves on the topic and become more aware of what this illness looks like and what it does. Current statistics show that over 300 million suffer from depression. In the UK, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year including feelings of anxiety, panic and depression. I want to use this opportunity to bring more awareness to my readers who maybe do not know much about mental illness. I want to stress the fact that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and many solutions to mental illness, but for those suffering from the illness, it can often feel like there is no solution or way out of this dark place. This is why it is important to seek help if you experience any symptoms that could be linked with mental illness and depression. This can be anything from change in eating habits, sleeping longer for usual so that you don’t need to feel, social exclusion: not wanting to go out anymore and see your friends, extreme fatigue, feeling of emptiness and void which prevents you from normal daily activities. Clinical depression is the more severe form of depression, which is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain where your body isn’t producing enough serotine. Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that serves to balance any excessive excitatory neurotransmitter firing in the brain. It can be easily fixed but many people who have it don’t know that they have it and therefore do not seek help.
As humans we can often attach our own exaggerated emotions from previous experiences onto new ones and consequently, we aren’t able to really appreciate and enjoy these new experiences or new people. But if we were to reflect objectively, distant from our emotions, we can see nothing is every completely good or completely bad even if it may seem that way at the time. Overthinking can turn good things in our life into something negative; we convince ourselves we don’t deserve something or that it is not right. Change creates uncertainty which gives us an incentive to want to remain in a place we have outgrown out of a fear of what could happen or what we can achieve. There are many ideals, expectations and responsibilities that are put onto us that can often overwhelm us. We can lose sight of the things that really matter in the process of chasing things that other people or society assigns value on. ‘As Will Smith said ‘fear is not real… it is a product of our imagination, causing us to feat things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice.’ Many young people today struggle with the problem of identity. I myself can relate to this more than anything. As we enter into adulthood, we are discovering every single day who we are and what kind of a person we want to grow into and what life we want to create. I think transparency and authenticity are major issues in this generation. The pre-occupation on the exterior, on material things, on our bodies, on money and success leads us to attach values to things that we don’t actually value or strive for. Beauty is seen by many as what is on the surface, but in reality, beauty is much more that. Beauty is a collaboration of all of YOU; everything you have to offer; it is the ability to make others feel beautiful. We can have a fuller life if we focus on our essence and inner beauty as our lives become more enriched with meaning and purpose. By talking about our mental struggles reminds us that we are much more than our fear, the outer surfaces, the things that supposedly define our lives and our worth.
I feel now I am much stronger person because I make a conscious decision every day to be happy and to also be kind to those around me because we are clueless to what other people are going through. For many, mental illness is something that we learn to accept, not as a weakness but just a part of life, there will always be bad days, life is not rainbows and sunshine. Having accepting this I have chosen to give my time and energy to the pleasures and happiness in my life. I seek the things that make me happy and in turn aspire to radiate happiness to those around me. I think this is what true beauty is; the ability to make others feel beautiful and be a light in other people’s lives. I want to take my young self, and the me now who does have bad days all the time and remind her that it’s okay to ask for help and its okay not to be okay. Life is a journey, everyone is going through the same thing, everyone strives to have purpose, to be happy and to make a change. Life is not the perfect reality we see on Instagram, there are struggles behind every success. In raising awareness and neutralizing the topic of mental health, we can all something to contribute; if you are feeling any symptoms, seek help. If someone close to you has it, talk about it, provide support. And I think everyone should find something that makes them happy, that gives them passion, that inspires them and RUN with it. I have found that generally being more health conscious and loving my body and mind, I am a happier and freer. This can include anything from cooking, stimulating my mind through reading books, watching podcasts and documentaries, cold showers, walks outside, sitting on a bench and soaking up the sun, reading quotes, writing down your thoughts, having a personal mantra, taking pictures, being in nature. Find the things, or qualities in people that make you happy and surround yourself with it. Where we invest our energy, change can happen and we can become happier better people. It’s important to take care of yourself. But at the same time, it is important to remember that ITS OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY.