I don’t know if it’s just me being nit picking and stuff but I personally don’t really like the phrase of going “I am not my ‘insert disorder/mental illness here’ ”
Because whilst it’s true and I do understand the sentiment behind it, I think it doesn’t help change or reduce the stigma, it only tries to push it elsewhere.
And I’ve come to the point in time where I am accepting of my ailments and that they are part of me and have shaped my perspectives and person as a whole.
Denying myself the attachment I have with them means denying my experiences, both good and bad. My pain and my peace. My shortcomings and my growth.
So rather than saying “I am not my this and that” I’ve started to see myself with the thought that “my illnesses/disorders are not where I end.”
“They make up part of me, but they are a detail amongst something more whole.”
Because with healing and growth has to come acceptance first and alongside perspective. And I believe one ultimately leads to the other.
Because of stigma people become so afraid of understanding themselves as no one wants to be associated with “so and so”. But where comprehension isn’t, that’s where ignorance and misconceptions take root.
Identity is a frail thing and whilst we want to do our best to avoid being misunderstood and misinterpreted, I think claiming that which we’ve told to shun is the first step of creating a true sense of reality and understanding.
I hope I haven’t offended anyone by sharing these thoughts, please forgive me if I’ve done so. It’s just a nuance I’ve realised with myself I wanted to say, and maybe someone else out there might want to hear the same.
