we need to talk about mental health
i know iām longer than a week behind everyone else, but i wanted to throw in my own little contribution for mental health awareness month...
everythingās been cancelled. one thing after the next. over fifteen major events in my life have been taken by this pandemic, and iāve felt like i canāt be upset about that. iāve felt guilty anytime i pitied myself because i kept seeing other people in the media that had it muchĀ worse than i did. because of that, iāve mostly been theĀ āmomā to everyone i know---refusing to cry, comforting them, etc. i never really thought about what was happening to me. i just continued on with my life and accepted my circumstances as my new normal, figuring there wasnāt much i could do about it. i thought i was coping really well...
until a few weeks ago. that week, i made a list of all the things that wonāt be rescheduled or replaced, and i lost it. it finally hit me. i realized i wasnāt just missing out on a couple frivolities---i was missing out on significant life milestones that everyone else got when they were my age and in my place.
iām usually the rock, and i donāt like to crumble in front of other people... but i cried.Ā i cried really hard. out of sadness. out of anger. i cried. and i donāt usually do that (let alone admit it).
for a while, i fell into a hole of thinking why me? why now? how is this fair?Ā
it isnāt. it really isnāt. to anyone.
i donāt really like being this vulnerable, but i wanted to share this because i want anyone whoās anything like me to realize theirĀ problems are valid. even if no one you love is unemployed, gravely ill, or otherwise, that doesnāt mean you have it easy! everyone has lost something or is struggling with something right now, and in times like this, problems that others might not see as a huge deal can be heartbreaking to you because you have no other problems in your life to focus on.
every single one of us has a right to be upset.Ā by acknowledging your losses and allowing yourself to grieve for a bit, you are not disrespecting othersā losses---youāre just respecting your own. and everyoneās losses deserve to be respected... including yours. so donāt tell yourself they canāt matter to you!
on that note: please take care of yourselves (physically, mentally, and emotionally). stay safe, stay healthy, be kind, and reach out if you need anything. <3
also: @studyingwithmi has a great studyblr/mental health blog with useful advice and plenty of pick-me-ups if youāre having a bad day/week/general existence, so check her out!! :)
