Okay, so I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much stigma there still is around mental health. It’s 2024, and people are still whispering about anxiety and depression like it’s some kind of shameful secret. I decided I wanted to do something, even if it’s small, to help chip away at that stigma. So, here’s what I did:
My Little Experiment
I started by just talking. Seriously, that’s it. I started being more open about my own experiences.
- With my friends: I used to always say “I’m fine” even when I was feeling totally overwhelmed. Now, I try to be more honest. I’ll say things like, “Actually, I’m having a really anxious day,” or “I’ve been feeling pretty down lately.” It was awkward at first, but it got easier.
- With my family: This was harder. My family isn’t exactly known for emotional openness. But I started small, mentioning things like, “I saw a therapist for a while, and it really helped me.” I didn’t push it, but I planted the seed.
- On social media:I am not a bold person, I just share a little bit of my life.
Then, I started listening, really listening, when other people talked about their mental health.
- No judgment: This is HUGE. I made a conscious effort to just listen without interrupting, offering advice, or trying to “fix” things.
- Validating their feelings: I’d say things like, “That sounds really tough,” or “It makes sense that you’d feel that way.” Just letting them know their feelings were okay.
And to top it off,I made it a habit to share and forward more mental health-related * more people like me to notice this important * is not shame at all.
It wasn’t some grand, sweeping gesture. It was just these small, everyday things. But you know what? It felt good. It felt like I was actually doing something, instead of just feeling frustrated about the state of the world. And I think, maybe, it made a tiny bit of difference. Even if it just made one person feel a little less alone, it was worth it.
