Why You Should Consider Speaking About Your #MentalHealth

By Kate

(The scariest yet most rewarding option)

I was not told how beautiful it is to trust people with your stories. That there is an amazing kind of healing that takes place when you share your pain with others; A heavy weight lifted off your shoulders as you utter words of the most unbearable experiences.

I have been through disorientation in its total depth that I do not want to go there again. Unlike other countries, it is devastating to figure out how to go about such issues in Malawi. Even though it is so, I have come to the knowledge of how rewarding it can be to speak about your mental issues with friends or family. And in this post I am going to share why you should consider sharing about your mental health with someone.

It is very extremely necessary to know that mental illness is as important as physical illness. Once you get to know this, you will not refrain from having conversations about mental health. Now, here are 3 reasons why it is important to open up about your mental health.

1. You give less power to your mental illness. Mental illness, especially depression has a tendency to isolate us from others. We build a shell around ourselves and sometimes to our own undoing we believe that we are unique in that situation, so who can we tell and who will understand?  This is why sometimes we are surrounded by people yet feel very alone. The more you talk about it, you grow accustomed to those feelings in a manner that gives you control. There is no denying how painful and tragic some experiences are, but all that surrounds your being. And not speaking about your mental health issues only make you feel worse.
2. You open a healing platform for others. In a blog post I published on my blog (kateinspo.blog) titled Finding your truest self I spoke of how my friends helped me realize my purpose. Writing that article gave me such a release. I was able to articulate my feelings to people who had no clue about how I felt about my childhood. After some people read that post, they contacted me and I spoke with them privately and I was able to offer some guidelines on how to use such experiences to develop themselves.
3. You develop a sense of belongingness. Abraham Maslow stated that belongingness is one of the human basic needs. It is not possible for us all to find belongingness in the same environment, which is why it is important to decide whom you want to share your depression or anxiety with. A sense of belonging improves our motivation, health and happiness. And in this case, it is achieved in a way that as you start speaking of your mental health you realize that you are not alone in that situation, and that feeling helps you cope with intensely painful emotions.

Talking about your mental health is not a weakness; it is part of taking charge of your wellbeing. You can message me on Instagram (@kate.inspo) for a private chat if you feel like talking about your mental health but do not know how and where to begin.

Until next time,

Kate