Is stigma all bad

Is stigma all bad?

Is stigma all bad?

As time ticks by me and my battle with mental illness rages on; so to does the fight for better care. It’s no secret that the mental health system is in dire need of funding and resources. Sadly, I only see it worsening as we move forward through this pandemic.

Alas, this is but one of this issues surrounding mental health. We also have the constant stigma that seems to go hand in hand with the daily struggles of those who suffer. Finally, there is the deep-seated struggle that resides within those who are ill.

Read Two Tiered System

Overall, I can only conclude one thing; the well minded just don’t get it. Even worse than that, they don’t want to understand. While this is certainly not true of everyone, it nonetheless leaves us struggling to see why when our mental illness comes up in conversation, why many falls silent; Perhaps worse than that, they turn and walk away.

How to talk to someone with a mental illness

But is stigma all bad? Is it possible that this awful approach to illness can have a silver lining? I argue that yes, indeed there could be. Hold on, lt me explain.

IS stigma all bad
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Regardless of whether one is mentally ill or not, we all must set boundaries and surround ourselves with positive energy; am I right? What does this mean? Well, as far as I can tell, it means we must welcome the kind and compassionate into our lives and purge the negative and hurtful people who only make life’s challenges worse.

Check out Sick Not Weak, a non-profit organization dedicated to all things mental health.

So again I ask, is stigma all bad? Maybe it’s more helpful for us in those moments when someone turns their back on us or outright avoids you and I like the plague, not to sweat it?

The Road To Mental Wellness is made possible in part by readers like you… thank you for your support.

Now, am I saying we should stop fighting stigma? Of course not, what I am saying however, is that on an individual level we can use incidents when we are stigmatized by others as a way to set boundaries or as a method to filter negativity out of our lives. I mean, do we really want someone like that in our lives?

Nah, I’m busy trying to heal and while on my journey, the lat thing I want to do is devote energy into a person who doesn’t get it. I don’t know about you, but personally, I have waaay too much going on to waste my already limited resources on that. Man, I don’t even have the reserves to waste on myself.

In conclusion, I don’t think stigma is all bad, it’s been helpful for setting boundaries with people as I encounter them (individually). At least I know where people like this stand. With that being said, we should remain diligent against stigma as a collective and continue to educate and advocate for better funding and compassion for the inflicted with a mental health condition.

Checkout the book I helped to write:

Lemonade Stand: Vol. III 

Created by Josh Rivedal and Kathleen Myre, Lemonade Stand: Vol. III is a compilation of 20 stories from those who have served in the emergency services and the military.  In it, the authors talk about their battles with PTSD, a debilitating and for many, a life-long mental illness.  So, if you are from the military or emergency service’s, perhaps this book can help you combat the feelings of isolation and fear that frequently comes with post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes, just knowing that there are others out there, just like you, can provide you with the strength and courage to speak up and or get the help you need. The intention of this book is to help with that…. You’re not alone.

Also, Lemonade Stand: Vol III was written to help combat the stigma that often accompanies mental illness, best of all, it attempts to give all you served their countries and communities a voice… Which is amazing!

Pre order today

If you are struggling please go here for help: Crisis Services Canada

OR

Checkout our Mental Health Resources Page

Contact me on my Facebook page: The Road To Mental Wellness

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Walking my way to mental wellness.

Walking My Way To Mental Wellness.

If I keep trying, I will work walk my way toward mental wellness

 
 

While travelling down the highway of life, my mental health condition took the wheel and lead me down a dark and lonely road. This unseen entity has led me down some pretty isolating and paths, but somehow I always managed to fight for control over my journey and steer myself toward normality. Now, I find myself walking my way to mental wellness.

 
Running through some of my battles I waged with mental illness, I can see that I always seem to end up the victor. Sure, Some battles were longer than others whist some sent me home wounded. The last battle I was mentally injured enough that I had to take time off work… But, I always bounced back. 
 
I recovered because I decided to take
 I exercised, ate well and sought out more than one mental health professional. I wanted to get to the bottom of what was causing me so much pain.
 
Because I am a fighter, I always ended up managing my illness sufficiently enough to return to work and thus to the living once more. But as we all know, when you are at war you’re bound to take a beating and some beatings are worse than others.

 

This last round not only took me down the road to mental anguish, but it also flattened the tires, pulled the spark plug and threw away the keys. What happens when you are stranded beside a dark dinghy road? You wallow for a while and then resign yourself to the fact that walking for help is your only option.

Deflated by the latest and most damaging incursion, I have been slowly walking my way to the road to mental wellness and although I am exhausted from the inclement weather Produced by Anxiety, depression and PTSD, I will keep going, even if I have to crawl my way back to the top the mentally healthy mountain.

I want you to know that, although a tough road to venture down, it is, nonetheless one you can handle. Always keep in mind who and what it is you are fighting for and you will win more days than you lose.

Click here for tips on how you can improve your mental health – Psychology Today

 



If you are suffering from PTSD, please reach out. I thank you for your service and you are still worthy and mean something. I believe in you!

If you are struggling please go here: Crisis Services Canada

 

Want help fund my book? donate: GOFundMe – The Road To Mental Wellness – The book

 
 
You may also enjoy: But a Mere Crawl: Slowly making my way towards mental wellness.

Contact me on my Facebook page: facebook.com/TRTMW

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Sparring With Anxiety

It is said that we accumulate wisdom as we age. I tend to think, for me at least that this is indeed the case. That being said, I acquired this wisdom by embarking on a personal journey to discover my authenticity, my true self that, up until recent history, I had seldom given it a thought. Maybe it’s because I’ve been sparring with anxiety.

After my first mental boxing match with, mental illness had successfully beaten me down after several rounds, I was forced to admit defeat. But like any determined fighter, I worked hard to discover, not only my own weaknesses but also, those of my opponent.

allowed my mental disorders to keep knocking me down, round after round.

When I first started to fight back, I, well, frankly; I sucked at it and like many young people, I thought I was indestructible, that nothing could whoop my ass. So my young self, naive and out of touch with, not only my illnesses but was also a stranger to my true self. I was nothing more than a template that society had formed and moulded.

Get a job, get married, buy a house, you know the drill. I didn’t seem to fit the mould of social expectation and my anxiety hated the “me” that was nothing but a factory model of thousands that had come before and after me. My young self was ill-equipped to deal with the mental illnesses storm that was on the horizon. My coping tool? Tuck and roll and plow through it. We are not allowed to seek shelter from our “perfect life,” So I allowed my mental disorders to keep knocking me down, round after round.

Slowly, I was enveloped by anxiety and depression. It would take tens years to win the fight but up until then, it didn’t only whip my ass, it knocked me out cold. Sad, I had waited until I hit the canvas and ended up in a mental health crisis before I was forced to take a look at why I was losing the war.

I started knocking mental illness to its knees.

The more I got defeated, the more I hit the mat, the more I was forced to get to know who I was as a person and the force that ruled over my life.

Despite losing match after match, I kept right on sparring with my anxiety and depression until I could predict their moves and exploit their weakness.

My, Breaking away from what’s expected and learning to love and accept that I have a sensitive disposition, am a helper to my core and live off compassion. I love being creative and believe that love is the life force in all of us. Once I gave myself permission to explore the real me, I started knocking mental illness to its knees.

In my wisdom, I know that I will always have to fight on and that I will win some days and lose others but because I am edging closer and closer to my authenticate self, sparring with my anxiety and depression is taken on with more vigour and determination than ever.
To learn how you can manage anxiety and depression click here: LifeStyle Changes That Help Anxiety And Depression.
If you are suffering from PTSD, please reach out. I thank you for your service and you are still worthy and mean something. I believe in you!
If you are struggling please go here: Crisis Services Canada
Contact me on my Facebook page: facebook.com/TRTMW

Jonathan Arenburg2 Comments