Magazine Article
Strike Magazine
In 2022, one of the more popular buzzwords is mental health. Absolutely everyone is either talking about it or advocating for it. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five people struggle with a mental illness. Although we are starting to talk more about it out in the open, there is still a barrier between how it’s discussed within a social setting and how we really feel on the inside.
Being part of Gen Z, we easily throw out the words Depression, Anxiety, and OCD among other terms, as if we were talking about what toppings to put on a salad. Today’s society is driven by social media platforms like TikTok, where it has become easier to talk about things that were once labeled taboo, especially in a short video format. People feel more comfortable explaining how they function with their mental illness on a day-to-day basis. Through social media, they can find individuals who are going through a similar situation as them and build a community. Although mental health is all about transparency, I’ve noticed that there’s a fine line between content that is praised and disdained.
When you struggle with your mental health there are good and bad days. On the best days, you think you’re invincible and that maybe even your illness must not be so bad. But on the bad days, you remember why you feel trapped and why even though mental health is something that’s talked about every day, talking about your own experience still feels uncomfortable. You put on a brave face and keep functioning because no matter what’s going on, the world keeps spinning, and that’s the hard truth. Although you might not be able to get up from bed in the morning or practice a simple facet of self-care like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, you feel like you must keep pushing yourself to act “normal”. A lot of it is considering not how we really feel but how we should feel, think, and act according to society.
Why is it that when we talk about mental health it’s fine to joke about it and laugh at our own expense but when it comes time to break down what it really means there’s a roadblock? Although society says they want to hear why you’re struggling and how they can help. The reality is it’s not that easy. While mental health services are more easily accessible to a wider range of the population, there are still various aspects of mental health that are not highlighted. Having systems in place that provide access to the same resources to minorities and the underprivileged. Having mental health days in addition to vacation days in the workplace. Re-education on the range of mental illnesses and how common they are within the population. Until these are the “norm” mental health cannot be deemed to be a topic that is fully transparent. Without these practices in place, how can we truly feel safe to express our inner selves to the outside world?
Written by Virginia Bonilla
