Let's Talk About Mental Health (pt 2)

Mental health will always be an important thing to talk about. There is never a time where it isn't important to talk about it. Whether this is talking about your own health, informing others about mental health or telling people that it's okay to talk about it, any form of talking about mental health is important in breaking the stigma of mental health.

So that's what I'm going to do now.

When mental health first became a problem for me, I had no clue what it even was. It sounds utterly ridiculous, but I never really knew the words depression, anxiety or mental health until I was around 14/15, when really I'd been experiencing these since I was as young as 10/11.

This is what I want to talk about today.

I want to talk about the fact that I didn't understand anything about suicide when I was an 11 year old feeling suicidal. I didn't realise it was even really a thing. I didn't know anything about it, I didn't even know the word. All I knew is that for a while, I wanted it to end.

I want to talk about the fact that when I was in school (from the age of around 9/10) the thought of doing anything wrong gave me unbearably crippling panic and the fact that I wouldn't realise this was due to anxiety until a few years ago.

I want to talk about the fact that the only thing I knew about self harm was opinions of people who said "it helped" until it was too late.

I want to talk about the fact that I had ridiculously unhealthy eaten habits and food mind frame when I was in secondary school, but I knew absolutely nothing about eating disorders at the time.

I want to talk about children and mental health. About the fact that 1 in 20 young children will experience a mental health problem and the fact that many mental health problems start before the age of 14. About the fact that growing up, I had absolutely no knowledge about mental health. I knew nothing. And I'm sure if I knew nothing then other people out there knew or know nothing too.

We are slowly bringing light to talking about mental health, but it still isn't enough. You constantly hear in the news about children ending their lives due to bullying, school pressure, feeling worthless etc.  This needs to change.

When I was younger I saw no way out. I didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone because I didn't really know that something was ever wrong, because no one had said otherwise. I know it sounds stupid, feeling suicidal at 11 and not understand how serious it is. But it happens. It is real and happening both in and out of the public eye.

To me, this is the most important reason we need to talk about mental health. So people out there understand that these feelings aren't normal, not everyone feels them and that there is a support network.

Because here I am at 19, my mental health still in a pretty rough state after all these years.

Giving children a childhood they enjoy is the least they deserve.

Let everyone know it's okay to talk. Love everyone you meet. Be kind, always.