If you look around right now, it feels like conversations aboutmental healthare everywhere.
(To say nothing of the many other factors that can affect how were doing mentally.)
We dont need to pretend like everything is normal, because its not.
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We dont need to act like everything is okay, because its not.
The pandemic is upending our lives and senses of safety.
People are losing jobs, people are getting sick, people are dying.
Our routinesfrom how we eat to how we socialize to how we sleepare disrupted.
It is important to recognize these struggles as part of our common human condition to some degree.
People feel disconnected and anxious, Danielle Hairston, M.D., a psychiatrist at Howard University, tells SELF.
They are worried about their family members, jobs, and children going to school.
My patients are exhausted too.
So are my friends and family members.
In fact, so am I.
This feeling has only been getting worse asthe pandemichas gone on.
Thats probably because of theconstantly changing and seemingly never-ending timelinewere dealing with.
It is also harder if youre trying to do it without enough support.
Stigma and shame are huge reasons for people not gettingmental health helpwhen they need it.
In many ways,therapyhas become more normalized, for which Im grateful.
Major shows likeGreys Anatomyhave evenspotlighted lesser-known types of therapy.
But in my experience, medication is still quite stigmatized, usually much more so than therapy.
Its such a shame because medication can be so crucial for many peoples mental health.
Luckily, weve had more folks speaking out publicly, from celebrities likeSelena Gomeztodoctors.
Im hopeful that were making progress.
But what does normalizing mental health concerns look like in practice?
It can definitely mean that we talk about our own mental health or difficult emotions really openly and honestly.
But you might not be ready to be that open about how youre doing, and thats completely okay.
These are just some of the ways we can normalize mental health.
Your boss might be dealing with it.
Your friends might be dealing with it.
Your family members might be dealing with it.
You might be dealing with it.
Even your therapist might be dealing with it.
Its about time we all say so out loud.
