1. You are not alone in feeling misunderstood; most people don’t understand mental health because they’ve never experienced it.
2. “You don’t look sad/sick/anxious” etc. NOBODY exhibits external signs of their illness all the time. You can be suffering and be hiding it.
3. Everyone who has a mental illness is weak. I would argue that living with a mh condition requires a strength everyday that other people may never need in their lives.
4. You won’t ever recover. Put simply, people do turn their lives around and everyone is entitled to live healthily.
5. “You just need to take it easy”
Um… What? People say this to me a lot and it is SO ANNOYING. That implies that mental illness develops just because of stress, and that is so wrong. Your genes, upbringing and personality all play a part. A good nap is really not going to fix everything.
6. Time being ill is lost time.
I always hated the thought that I was wasting my life, but illness has taught me so much about myself, others and life in general. Hopefully in years to come I, and you, will look back on the months/years of sickness and be grateful for what we’ve gained.
anadancer 