“Man up!” “Men don’t cry!” “Therapy is for pansies!” “Nobody wants to hear a dude whine.”

But also:

“I don’t want to bother anyone with my stuff.” “It’s not that bad.” “Could be worse.” “Other people have bigger problems.”

It occurs to me that there are lots of reasons for not talking about our mental health. Reasons. Excuses. Whatever.
Society as a whole has gotten better I think at addressing mental illness. Thank you Chester. But, and I know this is just anecdotal (at least until I do more research and gather some data and write another blog) but at least from what I see, nobody in my world is talking about their depression. Their own anxiety. And I include myself in that. In fact I do just the opposite of reaching out and instead isolate from people even more! How fucked up is that?!?!
We’re in a frickin pandemic….yes, still….and still have some rules in place, especially for those of us with compromised immune systems and other disabilities that put us at higher risk of complications from CoVid. And of course that’s gonna cause some mental health issues. It’s been 18 months since most of us started this social distancing thing, wearing masks, avoiding crowds. How is that not gonna mess with your mind??
And nobody’s talking about it. I mean, maybe to a shrink, but I’m pretty sure most of us are too broke to afford one! So I mean, occasionally someone might be brave enough to reach out on social media (I’m not) or is even braver and texts a friend (I don’t), or is even braver and actually calls a loved one or a friend (I don’t use my phone for that 😐) and that’s good. But I’m willing to bet more often than not, a whole bunch of people lay awake at night, maybe crying maybe not, and just think. Overthink. Their mind races. They’re overwhelmed with the bad thoughts.

“And cue nightly existential crisis in 3….2…..”
Hell it’s 2:30 in the morning right now and I’m up writing this. Wife laying next to me, no idea my insomnia is once again rearing it’s ugly head. And why not?? Wake her up, dumbass. Just wake her up.”

“But I don’t wanna bother her with my stuff. She’s got her own stuff. I don’t wanna bother her with my stuff.”
And the beat goes on…..

#DepressionLies  
#FuckDepression
#MakeChesterProud #IAmTheChange #320ChangesDirection #SickNotWeak
#TheBloggessTribe #NeverAlone
#MentalIllness #Anxiety
#BeThe1To #ReasonsISpeak
#StopSuicide #AFSP #NSPW #IKeptLiving #PTSDAwareness #YouMatter🤘 #YoureNeeded🤘 #YouRock🤘
#NationalSuicidePreventionMonth