The concept of “normal” is overrated, and more than that, the word “normal” itself does not exist and means nothing. We assign meaning and power to language, not the other way around. “Society” is a construct that pits words and people against each other. Think “us vs. them” or “cool vs weird”. Say the following words out loud and hear the power that they hold. “Normal”, “Cool”, “Popular”, “Timeless”, “Trendy”, Crazy”, “Weird”, “Abnormal”, “Strange”, “Atypical”. When repeated out loud they lose meaning, but when repeated internally to oneself they can engender dangerous and incorrect beliefs about one’s self. Stop calling yourself “crazy” or “weird” or a “weirdo” even as a joke. And please, for your sake, try to stop worrying if other people think you’re strange. Thank me later. None of the above words are helpful words in my book. Humans made the DSM-5-TR that defines “abnormal” and they also made the dictionary. They gate-keep which words belong in those books. Language is a construct. Don’t forget that. You hold power over the language you use and how you use it against yourself and others. No one is better than anyone else. No one is “normal”. No one is “atypical, abnormal, or weird”. These concepts are made up by society and advertising to sell you things and make you feel “less than”. Don’t buy into something because it will make you look or feel “normal”. Only subscribe to things you can learn from or that help you feel better about yourself, but not because “society” told you to feel bad about who you truly are. Also, “society” is a construct too. Don’t flinch away from challenging it, vehemently and frequently. To quote the influential and wise man in this photo, Dr. Gabor Mate: “The myth of normal is that we consume the conditions of society are healthy simply because we’re used to them.”🤔🧐💭 And to quote my favorite “strange lady in black”, Morticia: “What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly.”🕷️🕸️🪰🖤🥀 📸: photo credit belongs to @gabormatemd. Edited by me! #mentalhealth #gabrielmate #drgabrielmate #normalisamyth #myth #normal #abnormal #atypical #weird #crazy https://www.instagram.com/p/CltvHCxOH1U/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
