Why are subjects like mental health and therapy such a big Taboo ?



I read an article in the University Paper about struggling with mental health and being afraid to talk about it to your friends, what if someone found out, how would they look at me then ? I believe that many of us struggle with something mental, or have or will at some point in our life. We all go through things in life and we all have a mentality, we are all human and humans are fragile. And what about the modern society, what its doing to us; daily pressure to give out a certain look of a happy perfect life and yet when we have that moment we want to share, we forget to live in it, to actually be with them. And what about the stress ? I think we can all agree that every single one of us can easily fall apart.



So why couldn't we just talk about it more openly ?



Think about it, we say that true beauty comes from the inside, we all (well almost all of us) work on the outside to look good and sometimes some of us even post pictures about it on the internet for others to see and get compliment like "Work it Girl", "Your a Tough one". But were afraid to even mention the word Therapy to other people, even to the ones closest to us, Why ? Isn't it just as important to feel good on the inside, to be whole again ? Isn't that Strong ? I can tell you, It takes a lot of strength and bravery to admit to yourself that you need help, to not even mention to call somewhere and to go and get it.



Because of the Taboo, that "its only you" and the stigmatisation of "you are strange for needing help" some of us might be very reluctant to go and ask for it. We keep it in as much as possible.



But what if that person then couldn't keep it in anymore, and what if that person fell apart right in front of You ? What if they told you something or just fell into tears? They´re trying to reach out. Maybe because of self harming thoughts or maybe they are falling apart due to past abuse.



Opening your heart, taking off your mask, that (with the shame- labelled society that we have), takes a lot o courage, That is bravery.



So, after someone has taken that act of courage, how would you react ?

Some people seem to think; Well I wouldn't know what to say? You shouldn't worry about that. I'm a social caregiver and I don't really know half the time what I should say, because every person you meet is different, every situations is a new one. But this I know, and can feel for from my own personal experience. Don't turn your back, don't push that person away. You don't have to listen to their entire life story if you feel that you cant handle it, and that is ok! But respond with compassion, act in a way that show them that there is nothing to be ashamed of, because there really shouldn't be.





Lets break this taboo and take away the feeling of shame.



Lets all be brave <3



























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