It's time to talk; turn the dark cloud into a rainbow

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By Rosie Ros

I’d like to talk about the shame and stigma surrounding mental health. Throughout the past few days. there have been constant tweets and messages online about having a conversation around mental health.

Be it in an coffee shop, out on a walk, next to the water cooler… it’s important to just say, “How are you?”

I was journalling recently and the thoughts that came to me were those of shame and uneasiness around really being honest about being unwell.

Mental illness can sometimes be a secret, a secret that we hold dear, fearful of someone else’s reaction. I have felt this deeply. It’s a part of my life that I keep secret from my work colleagues and some friends, as I fear their reaction. But why? “It’s just an illness like any other”, I hear you say!

But I anticipate that “awkward silence”, like a big, black rain cloud moving closer to you, above you, as if all of a sudden, you get soaked and everyone else is dry. And there you are, wet and damp, and everyone is staring at you and pitying you or simply not knowing what to say.

Let’s beat stigma together and get talking

Sometimes, I feel like, well, now is the time to “come out”, so to speak. As soon as you talk about your illness, the dark cloud dissipates and evaporates. It just disappears.

If only it was easier. Why is there this invisible barrier? After having a breakdown in 2017, I have only been asked once or twice how I am now. Perhaps this is due to stigma or societal pressure to keep things hushed up, but I am guilty too. I should lead these conversations and talk more openly about the fact that I’ve been unwell since November, if not before. It’s hard to open up to loved ones but, honestly, I know they will understand. And the few conversations I have had, the honest ones, have truly been great, and easy, as if there’s no shame at all.

So, do speak out. It’s not that hard, and you will feel a hell of a lot better afterwards, and it just feels good. Instead of the dark cloud, there’s a rainbow.

If I don’t break the stigma, who will? No one is going to do it for me.

So, as hard as it has been for me to share my secret (the beauty of a blog is sharing without knowing who is reading), I need to come out and say I have been depressed, suicidal, mental, all of the above, and that’s ok. It is an illness that creeps up on you some days and makes you sad for no reason, makes you cry and be unable to get out of bed. But there I said it, I am still a fully functioning adult (most of the time) and, like everyone else, have my ups and downs.

Let’s beat stigma together and get talking 🙂

Reproduced with permission, originally posted here: rosalindbutt.wixsite.com