World Mental Health Day

Hey guys!!

Today's post will be a little different but its about a subject that I feel ridiculously passionate about, and that I feel should be talked about more. Especially on today, which happens to be World Mental Health Day. 

For those of you who may not be aware, October 10th 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Day. Waking up today and seeing #WorldMentalHealthDay trending made me so happy, as I think it is fantastic that we as a society dedicate certain days in the calendar to well needed causes such as mental health, cancer, bullying etc.

I was unsure how to approach the subject of mental health through a blog post as it is very easy to offend individuals but I have the platform online to spread awareness on such a horrible and common issue, and I feel that it would be an injustice to avoid the topic completely.  I am this to spread awareness and tell you reading this post, that it will get better. It may not seem like it right now but it will.

Through reading the #WorldMentalHealthDay campaign on Twitter, it is clear that many individuals don’t feel “good enough” or "can’t see a future ahead for them". I understand that many of you feel that way on a daily basis, some of you use the internet to overcome these feelings but, I promise that you are someone’s reason to wake up every morning with a smile on their face and not only that, you were born into this world for many exciting reasons, unaware of what they are yet? The beauty of life is the unknown, and the fact that you can be anyone you choose to be.

If you are sitting reading this and you are struggling to come to terms with how you are going to get through these next few days, weeks, months or years, then take a few moments and think about all of those times that you have laughed with your friends, all of those times you've danced crazily to your favourite song, all of those times you've made your parents proud, and those days you got up when all you wanted to do was stay under your duvet and hide from the world. Now stand up, stand tall and tell yourself, “I am not going to let this beat me. I am much stronger than this. This is only a minor bump on the road to my very successful future.” A few years ago, I made a page on my tumblr which was so popular and if this can maybe just help one of you, then it'll be worth it. You can find it here and it is so helpful if you need a distraction from everything in your head. 

 

You may be reading this and thinking that none of this directly applies to you, but there is certainly someone around you who is affected by a mental illness as MIND charity found that, 1 in 4 individuals have been diagnosed with at least one mental health problem in the last year. You may think that because you are not trained that there is nothing you can do to help someone who is suffering but the best thing to do is to look out for the signs of depression:

• A (sudden) loss of interest which was once enjoyed
• Isolating oneself away from the rest of the world; not wanting to see family or friends
• A sudden negative attitude towards many things in life
• If at school or work; a sudden decline in their standard of work
• Staying in bed more than often than before to avoid contact with other people
• A gradual/sudden lack of care for one’s appearance or oneself

If you notice someone acting somewhat different than their usual self, question it! You could save a life. 

Making sure that those around you is one of the hardest, but most humbling things that you could possibly do, and even though people may not directly thank you, please be assured that they definitely do appreciate it.

Please always remember that those individuals who have a smile on their face might not necessarily be happy, they could be putting up a front for many reasons. 

Please don’t suffer in silence, so many people love and care about you and will be there for you when you need them, including me. (You can contact me on any of my social media).

Stay strong.

Em x