The Good, The Bad, The Ugly; The Need to Embrace It All

This article is going to make you uncomfortable. It is going to make you think about things that you would normally procrastinate on thinking about. Things you tell yourself you would think about on “another day” when you deep inside know that you never want to even acknowledge that it’s there. But it is something that exists in many people’s worlds. In many minds all over the globe. You’re probably dying to know what exactly this concept I am talking about is, and I’ll tell you. Just bear in mind it is going to be a rough ride.

Depression. Anxiety. Self-harm. Mental health is something that is so stigmatized in society that simply referencing it can lead to judgment from others. I was contemplating whether I should write about this or not, but I think it is an important topic that should be recognized in this day and age. I believe I have enough experience to talk about this, to say the least. Let me give you an insight into three types of mental health disorders that I have mentioned before.

Depression comes in all forms. Now, I’m no expert, but I want to emphasize that no matter the strength, depression is depression. You could feel it for a second and it might feel like it’s not going to come back, but it might. I don’t want to scare you, but it is something that has happened to me before. You could feel a wave of sadness and watch the tides wade back, but there is a high chance that the waves will come again. It has happened to me and has happened to so many of us that it is okay to admit that it has happened to you too. Depression is nothing to be judged about.

To move on to anxiety, everyone gets anxious. But it’s what you do with the anxiousness that matters. Some people deal with their anxiety with self-harm. Self-harm is judged by a lot of people, but I don’t think it is something that should always be seen as ‘bad’. Self-harm stereotypically is when you injure yourself intentionally for satisfaction or other purposes, but drinking, smoking, and other daily tasks should also be considered self-harm because of the fact that they are harming your organs. Although it cannot be physically seen, it is harming what is keeping you alive, which is why I believe that self-harm comes in all forms as well. I want to emphasize that I am not saying that you should or shouldn’t self-harm, but I truly hope that you find peace in other things rather than self-harm to ease your anxiety or depression.

Before I go, I want to leave you with one message. We all have bad days. We all have nights where we toss and turn in our beds and cannot go to sleep. But we also need to remember that this is okay. It is okay to have a bad day or two. If you really need to, it is not a bad thing to reach out for help. Self-harm is something that many people reading this may deal with, but I just want you to know, you are not alone. You will get through this, and you will be able to succeed in whatever you want to do, because, as cliché as it sounds, you will get through this.