Mental Health, the invisible pain?

When the health issue is brought up, most people think of physical health and illnesses; and aren’t really aware of mental health’s importance.

Whereas a stomach ache, diabetes, fainting or a broken arm will catch attention and be urged to heal, the way we feel, usually emotionally, when shown, will tend to be put aside and get misinterpreted by others as exaggerated selfishness. But these stereotypes are to ban.

Mental health is a term used to define “the way we feel, think and behave” and means “the absence of a mental disorder”. It really is the way we manage to cope with every day outside information…stress, happiness, questioning, excitement, and many other emotions. These, you may think, are basic feelings all of us experience, but when you are permanently faced with stress, for example, you could be sinking into a very unhealthy way to live and think.

While on one hand mental disorders like bipolarity, which are usually genetic, are healable with drugs, on the other, mental health problems are most likely to get better by speaking to someone, you trust and close enough, about them, first. If you yourself feel down, or notice a friend who isn’t their usual self you should talk about it, although it isn’t always easy.

Signs of mental health uneasiness are very discreet and trivialized by our societies but unless spoken about, they could lead to the worst complications such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks and at worst cases suicide… here are a few: eating and sleeping changes; numb, confused, upset, angry feelings; hallucinations; thinking of harming yourself or others. These signs could be just one having a very bad day of course. But if they persist, one has the obligation of sharing how they feel, no matter how hard it may be.

Many movements on social media, initialised by Gen Z teenagers, are making, sure enough, awareness on this subject is made, so it isn’t an embarrassment to talk about these kinds of matters, which can be intimidating when perceived by critical and nasty world’s eyes. So please always take care of yourselves, and make sure you and your entourage feel okay, especially those still quarantined where your moral state might feel low!

Maya El Haddioui,

Official Writer of Poetry United