What is mental health? According to mentalhealth.gov, Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from the moment we are born to the moment we die, our mental heal is vital to who we are and how we interact with society.
Unfortunately for me, mental health was not something I was taught growing up and as I have come to realize this is the case for many people. I am sure many of you are familiar with the old saying, "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Yea, that's a load of BS. Although, it is true that sticks and stones can break your bones, words can and will hurt you in ways that sticks and stones can't. People don't kill themselves due to a broken bone. Even if their broken bone ruins their career it isn't the broken bone that makes them kill themselves. It is the mental anguish that puts the nail in the coffin.
It has taken me many years to get control of my mental health and it's been a tough journey. I have personally had my troubles with depression and suicidal thoughts. However, it wasn't until I started studying the root cause of the addiction that many people I have met in my life have suffered from, that I began to truly understand and piece things together. You see the reason I understood addiction so well was because apart of me wanted to be an addict. Now, I know that sounds strange, but you see the difference between an addict, a depressed person and a suicidal person is how they manage the trauma that has happened to them. An addict afraid of the pain seeks to suppress it and becomes a victim of Addiction. A depressed person befriends the pain and it becomes the best friend they never want to let go of and they become a victim of Depression. A suicidal person can't numb the pain and can't stand it being their friend and unable to find a better course does the only thing they feel they can and ends the pain and their life, and becomes a victim of Suicide.
Not to be outdone there is one pesky trick the mind likes to use throughout all three of these diseases and that is Anxiety.
Perhaps one of the most profound statements I have ever come across is the one above. I have been hurt by people and I have hurt people. Interestingly enough I have hurt people in the same way I have been hurt. Even more interesting is the fact that this is quite normal. How do we break this cycle and why do we continue it. It all starts with understanding and dealing with our Trauma.
