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Mental health issues often fester and boil within us because we do not want to be a burden and share our problems with others. By keeping these feelings inside we are creating a toxic environment for others with these similar issues by perpetuating the standard that keeping your feelings to yourself is necessary. All health-related conditions are looked upon as a weakness and most of the time people feel ashamed to admit or share that they are struggling. We have continued to feed the wound by adding frustration and loneliness to our problems that already existed. Most feel like a burden-sharing their feelings with others but these are some simple tips that help you open up the conversation.
1. Open up the conversation
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If you are a person who is lucky enough to have zero negative feelings about sharing your mental health with others, do so. By casually talking about what you deal with, you open the floor for others to chime in, allowing people to relate and know that you are a safe space to come talk to. It is very simple to only think about how you are affected by a situation, but when you take the time to understand how you help others you will be able to see a difference. Talking about your struggles helps release the pile off of your back and open up the conversation.
2. Start Small
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No need to spill everything all at once. Take it as slow as you need, remember this could affect your mental health as well so do a check-in to make sure you are comfortable with what you are sharing. Sometimes it is hard to tell someone you’ve known for a long time about these things because they have preconceived expectations about you, so if possible start with a blank slate. When making a new friend casually mention that you have anxiety and then see how they react. Then you can always talk about it from there on because they know you struggle with it.
3. What are your intentions
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Always check in on your original intentions for sharing these thoughts. Are they coming from a place of progression and health? Or are they coming out of a pity place? If you want others to feel bad for you then you might not be healthily dealing with these emotions. If you can confidently say to yourself that you want people to further understand you and you want to be honest then you will know that this might be the right step forward.
4. Bad Reactions?
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If a friend or family member reacts negatively to you then you need to understand that the relationship is toxic. People are afraid to tell others they struggle with mental health issues because they are afraid others will react in a negative way or think poorly about someone. If this is the case then thank them for their time because they just helped you get rid of a toxic person in your life. Nothing kills someone better than kindness. Remember that you are important and a negative relationship is not.
