Over the last three years, I have become more open about the struggles faced in depression and anxiety within my own world. I have found people that are honestly intrigued by it all, ya know, since their brains function properly. As they grasp onto what is going on within my head from morning to night, I have gained more support. It's been freeing.
It has actually been so freeing that I recently wrote a book (in the shortest amount of time I've ever written anything, I might add) that follows along the lines of frustrations, stress, and life. It's fairly raw and real, especially for me. I'm the queen of privacy. I don't speak unless spoken to. In this book, I speak of humble and sincere honesty. It's something that I hope will become a thing, because if you get it, you get it. I can be honest like nobody's business. Much of society can. We scream "First Amendment!" while we bash someone and think it's okay. (Hint: it isn't okay.) We can be honest about our struggles these days, and I think that it can actually be quite harmful for many people - especially those of us that may not be all that mentally stable. Examples include, but not limited to: selfies expressing how upset one is over being (overweight, ugly, dumb, sick) how children are acting like terrors When people post these things to social media for the first time, typically, it is with sincere honesty. They are expressing a struggle. But what happens? Comments! "Beautiful!" "You're stunning!" "Girl, you are not fat!" "Please, I wish I looked like you!" "We're here for you." "Do you need a coffee?" "We should get together" "It's okay, Mama, you're doing a great job!" Here are the downfalls of those comments. 1- Some are lies, but trying to be nice. 2- People don't understand the chemical imbalance that is going on and are really feeding into something so much worse than they realize. 3- The attention becomes addicting. Soon, the person is sharing the bad not for genuine support, but for the boost of attention. When things aren't so bad, they elaborate and make it worse than it is to get more attention. Soon the lies of just how bad their life has gotten is more than just an elaboration. They start to believe how bad it is. What they share with people is no longer humble or sincere, no matter how honest any of it is. It's a sad situation, but it actually has a ripple effect that they don't even realize. See, there are some of us that see how much the complaints turn to whining and end up being white noise that nobody actually cares about anymore. It creates an atmosphere where we don't feel good about sharing our struggles because we'll just get lumped in with the complainers. It's almost like the boy who cried wolf, except that it's really some other kid crying wolf and when you shout no one believes you because of the other kid. I have taken an approach, I hope, to becoming humbly and sincerely honest. If I share my story it is for a distinct importance: helping a friend, showing empathy, or educating. I know I struggle. And it feels good when someone says something encouraging during my struggle. I just hope to keep on a path that leads people to understanding and freedom.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI have a lot to say about a lot of things. Archives
May 2023
Categories |