If someone was struggling to put an object on a tall shelf and someone offered to help them, they would take the assistance happily. It’s easy to accept help or be aware that you need help when your problem is figuring out how to return the cereal you decided not to buy. It’s a lot harder to accept help however when you’re struggling mentally. It means you have to admit not feeling like yourself. You need to figure out why though, because you deserve to feel good. Advocating for your mental wellness doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it can be empowering.
I recently went through an experience where I had someone advocate for my personal mental wellness, and it changed things for me in such a big way. Ever since then, I have been reflecting on ways to be a better advocate for myself. It’s amazing to have people in your corner who will step in and be your advocate. Yet as we grow in our mental health journeys, it’s essential to learn how to be your own biggest supporter and speak up when you need something. Mental health is a very vulnerable, private topic for many people. Certain people merely refuse to speak about it, but that does not make it non-existent.
As someone at the big age of 21 years old, I personally needed my wonderful mother to be my advocate. So, I can relate to the difficulty of asking for help with your mental health. Thankfully I had the opportunity to get help, despite actively avoiding it due to embarrassment and the assumption that I was strong enough to handle it on my own.
It can feel like the most difficult task in the world to get mental health assistance, and you may feel this way for a plethora of reasons. The daunting nature of getting assistance is the reason that many people ignore the way they feel until it progresses past a point they can’t control. I don’t want to expose too much of my personal story, but I can say with absolute certainty: please go get help if you’re feeling mentally unwell or searching for ways to cope with your symptoms.
There was a point in time when I felt like I was better than “normal” people, since I was battling ferocious anxiety every day and still managed to keep going. I now know that this didn’t make me better than anyone, it simply made my life harder and took away pieces of joy that I deserved to experience. To quote my doctor, “You don’t have to be a hero. You have clearly already proved that you can handle this. Yet, what does continuously torturing yourself prove?”
This article is essentially food for thought for anybody that may be struggling with their mental health and resisting getting some kind of help. Help can be medication, therapy, self-soothing strategies, and much more. Being your own advocate does not have to be overtly difficult either — the first step is to tell someone how you are feeling. It can actually be easier than you think. Just speaking to someone about your feelings and letting them know that you are tired of dealing with them on your own are forms of self-advocacy.
Small steps can lead to victory. The most important thing is that we all deserve to be mentally well. Sometimes being an advocate for yourself requires you to be vulnerable and speak up about your needs in order to receive the kind of help and support everyone deserves when working towards mental wellness.