It is not every day we can talk to people about serious issues in our day-to-day lives., What we may deal with may look minuscule to others from the outside. Yes, others might feel like we just need to pull up our bootstraps, take that chip off our shoulder, and just snap out of it. We hear it so much, start to give into it sometimes. We start to think, Ya, you’re right, this is not so bad, things are much better then I think they are and just try and suppress your feelings. Sometimes, we go so far as believing we don’t need help or our medications.
I know this has happened to me a number of times. Now, I’m not saying that what our friends and loved ones are saying is 100% right or wrong… There is some truth in the idea that with cognitive and talk therapy we can control some aspects of our mood swings with positive re-enforcement. Still, if you try to talk to them about how you’re really feeling, they will look at you cross-eyed sometimes or think they have to call your doctor to up your meds or get you committed.
That is where our peers come it… The old birds of a feather flock together. I have to tell you, for me, I feel comfortable talking to people in crisis then I do making small talk with some one who has no clue what mental disorders can do to a person. Listen, we all need help! Not because you or I are weak, no on the contrary! We all need help because it makes the load and burden we carry lighter. Hey, even God has his son as a helper.
So, no matter what our background is, remember, if you live with a mental illness and you’re alive and this post has not bored you to death yet, then you can reach out to ask for help or become the helper… It does not take much, and it can all start with talking about your experiences and how you have survived and maintained your recovery.
Gus-Dur or Abdurrahman Wahid Former Indonesian president died in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital Jakarta on Wednesday aged 69.
