My name is Danielle. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder when I was in middle school. I have constant negative thoughts that make my mind jumble and feel scattered. Often, I have miserable panic attacks where I start to shake, feel numb, and I want to scream at the top of my lungs. However, my name is not Danielle Generalized Anxiety Disorder; my anxiety should NOT define the person that I am one bit.
Recently, a guy approximately my age sent me a message: a complete stranger. He told me that he had scrolled through the titles of my articles, paying deeper attention to the ones that mention mental health. The stranger asked me if I consider my mental health problems “actual health issues.” According to this guy, mental health is not as important as physical health; mental health is not worth talking about. Without attempting to argue back, I blocked him.
However, I was startled and baffled by this comment. So, I looked up the definition of health online.
Let’s pull this one from Merriam-Webster:
“The condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially : freedom from physical disease or pain.”
Well, that is quite the biased definition, showing some favoritism for physical health. I mean according to the sole denotation of the first clause, wouldn’t you say body, mind, and spirit are each 1/3 of the definition of health?
I am not going to deny that PHYSICAL health is extremely important, and I make sure that I nourish my body whether I am filling it with nutritious foods or constant exercise to prevent ailments and disease. I understand why people put physical health at the top of the pedestal. But in actuality, doesn’t physical health, mental health, and spiritual health all go hand-in-hand? Keeping your body in tip-top shape will not only nourish your body, but it will nourish your brain, too. Being diagnosed with a horrible physical disease that effects your body has the potential to cripple your mind and spirits. They work together; they are not separate entities. However, what I am trying to say is that I would love to see mental health taken just as seriously because in the long run, our mind’s play such an immense part in our lives. You know that little voice in your head that you hear all of the time that doesn’t go away? It seems to have quite a mind of its own and opinions on everyone and everything. THAT MIND OF ITS OWN IS COMING FROM YOUR MIND. You listen to that voice every little second of your precious day, and isn’t it important what it says to you?
I am glad to be a part of a time in life where mental health is becoming more prominant. There is so much being done to increase mental health awareness, and I am proud that society is trying to shatter the stigma surrounding mental health. I, for one, am tired of being looked at by some as “psychotic” (yes, I have been called that) because I suffer each and every day, begging and pleading that my mind’s horrid thoughts and anxiety comes to a halt. I am sick of asking for “a mental day off” and being denied the chance to spend a therapeutic “me” day because I am not suffering a physical health issue. Apparently, my mind should be put on the back burner. While some may disagree, I know I am not alone.
There are three things I hope people understand from this article:
1. People need to stop playing favorites. Mental, spiritual, and physical health are all important. They all matter. They all contribute to our health. No reason for one to take priority over the other.
2. Stop looking at people with mental disorders differently. Stop looking at people with physical illness differently. Period.
3. Don’t identify anybody by their illness. That girl over there who is depressed all of the time? Stop talking to her like she’s crazy. She’s not. And, same thing goes for that girl battling with Cancer. She’s not only the girl battling Cancer. Please, just stop the labeling!
