Mental health is an internet-favourite subject now. Everyone wants to seem woke, so everyone talks about it more now. All of a sudden, it seems that everyone has depression or anxiety. But in truth, people with mental illness always had it, way before Deepika Padukone had the guts to talk about it, and probably always will, even if people are tired of hearing about it. Those are the people-the lucky, privileged few who don’t have to go through it-those people who react cynically to a conversation about someone’s poor mental health despite so much conversation about it, are the ones this article is for. They are the ones who think that people put on mental illnesses like a convenient disguise, and parade around showing it off, for attention. This is to tell them that they don’t quite have the right idea about how depression, anxiety, or mental illnesses work, by explaining how five important aspects of my life have forever been damaged by mental illnesses.
I would have a much larger social circle if I was mentally healthy.
Everything in life somewhat shrinks under the weight of depression and anxiety. If it were just about the illness, then the first problem is how it discourages a person from stepping out of the house, and even stepping out of bed. As a result, social circles become sparser. But that’s not the only thing. Nobody wants to engage with someone emotional and volatile when they are out to party or have a good time. So, people begin to avoid you.
I would be healthier physically, too.
To begin with, a good night’s sleep wouldn’t be a distant dream if I didn’t have a mental illness. Food would go down my throat more easily. Then, there’s the problem with this simple yet life-sustaining activity called breathing. People with anxiety or depression often have trouble with something that basic. If I didn’t have a mental illness, I wouldn’t be too tired to exercise. I wouldn’t be binge drinking, or eating to escape a problem.
I wouldn’t react so terribly to minor issues if it wasn’t for my depression and anxiety.
It can be very unsettling to not get a grip on yourself when the waterworks begin in public, after you overreact and your imagination loses all control, flooding your thoughts with terrible scenario after scenario, post any minor mishap. First, the problem and its possible bad repercussions scare you, and then, your inability to control your mind and get a grip, worsens it. Every single day becomes tougher to navigate.
I would be more ambitious and I would have goals for the future.
People plan for the future when they want one, when they know there will be a tomorrow. For many people who are depressed or suicidal, planning that far ahead, unfortunately, feels like overreaching, because the question, “Will I make it through tomorrow?” is ever-present. Not only that, even if a mentally-ill person is not suicidal, we are so drained from struggling with our mind, that we do not have the drive or energy to be goal-oriented. Baby steps are all we can take, and the only goal we have, is being happy and at peace.
I would have trouble understanding others with mental illnesses if I wasn’t sick myself.
Would I care as much about other people suffering from a mental illness if I didn’t have it myself? Maybe not. This, perhaps, is because I know that those who aren’t suffering as I am, often have trouble understanding my situation, and I am sure I wouldn’t understand if I were them. How can a person really know what you’re going through till they have gone through it, too?
That being said, I would still care about those with mental illnesses. I wouldn’t dismiss something as non-existent because I was lucky enough to never have it happen to me. I would not say that Deepika is lying for attention, or that Britney just wanted the publicity. I would still at least be open to the idea that maybe, their life isn’t what it seems, behind closed doors.
