The more people that offer me help after reading my blog, the more I see the importance of writing it.
We have created a society where people are not comfortable with their thoughts. Expressing themselves. Sharing their feelings.
On a professional level, I have been in the social work field for 14 years. I have heard thousands of struggles. Pain. Loss. Confusion. Truth. I have heard and seen darkness over and over again.
On a personal level, I have now lost count of my friends, family and acquaintances that struggle daily with depression, anxiety, stress and finding purpose. Physical struggles. Emotional struggles. Mental struggles. Spiritual struggles.
I can say with absolute certainty, not one person in my life isn’t dealing with some aspect of it.
But they are doing it privately. Alone or in a very small circle. Not for a lack of support but for other reasons.
Fear.
Fear of being judged. Fear of how others will look at them if they know their life isn’t perfect. Fear of being “different”. Fear of what others may think if they find out they are on medication to help them cope. Fear of appearing weak. Fear of hurting their family and friends. Fear of scaring people with their thoughts. Their actions.
We are all scared of something.
Those feelings are very much valid.
Fear is real.
So we sit with it.
We medicate.
We medicate ourselves.
With social media.
With alcohol.
With drugs.
With work.
With company.
With sex.
With the gym.
With love.
With anything and everything that will keep us from having to be honest.
We succeed in other areas and we are celebrated for doing so.
People drown themselves in physical activity and we congratulate them for being determined.
People drown themselves in their work and we congratulate them for being ambitious.
People drown themselves in their social life and we congratulate them for being fun.
But honesty.
Pain.
Reality.
We fear it.
The only consistent thing I find in everyone I meet, is struggle.
That’s the real “normal”.
THAT.
IS.
THE.
REAL.
NORMAL.
And still we are told that it’s not.
That the way we feel is something that needs fixing. With medication. With counselling. With anything.
And the more we allow ourselves to believe this, the more we struggle.
The more silent we remain, the more pain we feel.
The more we fear, the more isolated we allow ourselves to become.
So I’ve decided to write openly about what hurts. To split myself open. To come out of my head so that others know it’s ok to do so.
Every day, hundreds of people read my blog. I get feedback from all over the world about how my words have reminded them that they are ok.
This is why I write.
My struggle is real.
But I’m ok.
The more people that offer me help after reading my blog, the more I see the importance of writing it.
And miles to go before I sleep 