Mentally and Physically Sick Brains
Anyone who’s known me for longer than 2 years is probably aware that my brain is pretty shite. From around the age of 13, I found myself falling into the woes of depression that went untreated and officially undiagnosed for a good 3/4 years before I felt I had no way out. In my trademark morbid comedy, I find myself saying that my brain couldn’t successfully get me to kill myself, so it tried to grow a tumour instead. Very much a ‘You just cannot get the staff these days,’ type mantra. This week marks the beginning of mental health awareness week, and as someone who has dealt with the troubles mental health can bring, I wanted to dedicate this weeks post to such an important cause.
Much like with cancer, the statistics of mental health have become very common. In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week (MIND), and official statistics for cancer have halted at 1 in 2 of being affected; this means that mental health and cancer are definitely going to overlap in modern society. When we look into gender specifics, 76% of suicides (that is 3 out of 4) are from males, with suicide being the biggest killer in men under 35. This week, even on its first day, is allowing many people to speak out about their own experiences and help break the stigma that still surrounds mental health today. A major downside I have seen from social media is the emergence of a ‘fix yourself’ attitude with people campaigning against medication such as antidepressants in favour of meditation or drinking a new type of smoothie. I cannot emphasise enough how ridiculous this is. As someone who took antidepressants for a year, I owe alot of my progress to the help my tablets gave me, and I am not ashamed of that. There is some truth that mental illness can be aided through habits like meditation, but you cannot meditate your way out of being depressed. Depression is a highly complex illness that requires professional help, and there is no shame in asking for it.
Personally, I tend to steer away from any romanticisation or idealisation of mental illness, and I do not always agree with it. To me, depression is not being 'stuck in a bubble away from everybody, unable to ask for help,' it is spending 3 days in bed, barely showering, and eating nothing but plain bread or a single bowl of cereal. There is nothing romantic about depression, and we are all understanding that it isn't 'cool' to be depressed. It is an illness that requires treatment and therapy. The idea that we wake every morning and 'battle our own thoughts' doesn't always sit well with me, because I didn't feel like a warrior when I finally crawled out of bed and sat in the shower for 30 minutes, or when I almost fainted out of dehydration one afternoon; I felt like someone who couldn't look after themselves properly, and I felt like someone who had to better myself because I felt like I was wasting my youth.
It was almost 2 years after I felt I had beaten depression that I got diagnosed with a brain tumour, and the differences in being physically sick as opposed to mentally stuck with me. After a year of physical symptoms, I was actually given a diagnosis and physical treatment that helped me to get better, but I knew from my past I was at risk of a mental relapse following such a traumatic diagnosis. So I decided to take action before allowing myself to fall into a deep rut. Since October, I have been working on creating healthy habits to rewire my brain into looking after itself, using the app 'Fabulous' to work on drinking water, eating a healthy breakfast, and lightly exercising every morning to establish a routine that keeps me busy and helps me feel better in myself. The Fabulous app has a friendly interface, with reminders and letters to keep you occupied, along with having a great selection of challenges and journeys to take on if you're feeling that 'I'm actually getting my life together,' motivation. Another app I've found helpful is 'Headspace', probably one of the most popular apps available to practice meditation and mindfullness as a way to manage your thought processes with guided talks and videos. I should probably mention here, I am NOT sponsored by these apps, they're a genuine recommendation from me as someone dealing with the after-effects of brain surgery and treatment, so if you are interested in creating good habits and being more aware of your body, have at it!
With it being Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to end on allowing ourselves to be kinder, not only to others but to ourselves as well. Take a minute to just sit and focus on yourself, how your body feels, maybe count your breaths, and just pause in such a busy world. If you find that you are increasingly stressing out, or becoming less motivated and saddened through the days, I would recommend using 'Kooth': an online service for young adults aged up to 25 where you can speak to an online counsellor; I have personally used the service for the last 2 months and have officially finished my online therapy as of yesterday, and the counsellors and workers there deserve alot of credit for the services they provide. Wishing you all a great week, and good mental health!
Much like with cancer, the statistics of mental health have become very common. In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week (MIND), and official statistics for cancer have halted at 1 in 2 of being affected; this means that mental health and cancer are definitely going to overlap in modern society. When we look into gender specifics, 76% of suicides (that is 3 out of 4) are from males, with suicide being the biggest killer in men under 35. This week, even on its first day, is allowing many people to speak out about their own experiences and help break the stigma that still surrounds mental health today. A major downside I have seen from social media is the emergence of a ‘fix yourself’ attitude with people campaigning against medication such as antidepressants in favour of meditation or drinking a new type of smoothie. I cannot emphasise enough how ridiculous this is. As someone who took antidepressants for a year, I owe alot of my progress to the help my tablets gave me, and I am not ashamed of that. There is some truth that mental illness can be aided through habits like meditation, but you cannot meditate your way out of being depressed. Depression is a highly complex illness that requires professional help, and there is no shame in asking for it.
Personally, I tend to steer away from any romanticisation or idealisation of mental illness, and I do not always agree with it. To me, depression is not being 'stuck in a bubble away from everybody, unable to ask for help,' it is spending 3 days in bed, barely showering, and eating nothing but plain bread or a single bowl of cereal. There is nothing romantic about depression, and we are all understanding that it isn't 'cool' to be depressed. It is an illness that requires treatment and therapy. The idea that we wake every morning and 'battle our own thoughts' doesn't always sit well with me, because I didn't feel like a warrior when I finally crawled out of bed and sat in the shower for 30 minutes, or when I almost fainted out of dehydration one afternoon; I felt like someone who couldn't look after themselves properly, and I felt like someone who had to better myself because I felt like I was wasting my youth.
It was almost 2 years after I felt I had beaten depression that I got diagnosed with a brain tumour, and the differences in being physically sick as opposed to mentally stuck with me. After a year of physical symptoms, I was actually given a diagnosis and physical treatment that helped me to get better, but I knew from my past I was at risk of a mental relapse following such a traumatic diagnosis. So I decided to take action before allowing myself to fall into a deep rut. Since October, I have been working on creating healthy habits to rewire my brain into looking after itself, using the app 'Fabulous' to work on drinking water, eating a healthy breakfast, and lightly exercising every morning to establish a routine that keeps me busy and helps me feel better in myself. The Fabulous app has a friendly interface, with reminders and letters to keep you occupied, along with having a great selection of challenges and journeys to take on if you're feeling that 'I'm actually getting my life together,' motivation. Another app I've found helpful is 'Headspace', probably one of the most popular apps available to practice meditation and mindfullness as a way to manage your thought processes with guided talks and videos. I should probably mention here, I am NOT sponsored by these apps, they're a genuine recommendation from me as someone dealing with the after-effects of brain surgery and treatment, so if you are interested in creating good habits and being more aware of your body, have at it!
With it being Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to end on allowing ourselves to be kinder, not only to others but to ourselves as well. Take a minute to just sit and focus on yourself, how your body feels, maybe count your breaths, and just pause in such a busy world. If you find that you are increasingly stressing out, or becoming less motivated and saddened through the days, I would recommend using 'Kooth': an online service for young adults aged up to 25 where you can speak to an online counsellor; I have personally used the service for the last 2 months and have officially finished my online therapy as of yesterday, and the counsellors and workers there deserve alot of credit for the services they provide. Wishing you all a great week, and good mental health!
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