“You do not have to be fearless. Doing it afraid is just as brave.” -MHN
I recently discovered this quote and found that it had a big place in my journey. For years I have struggled with my mental health. There are times when it is easy to cope with and there are times that it may not seem like there is and end in sight. It’s easy to put on a front and act like everything is fine by pushing thoughts out of my head. I can’t even count the times I’ve said to myself, “you’re overreacting”, “It’s not that bad, just suck it up and move forward”, “you aren’t in a place where you should go to therapy or talk about your bad days and thoughts because people have it worse than you”. When in fact, this was just making my anxiety worse and causing me to feel depressed.
It took a lot to happen in my life to realize that getting help and talking about my feelings is OKAY. In fact, it’s more than okay. It is normal and healthy. There are way more people that can relate than I used to think. This took me opening up to others and allowing myself to feel my emotions and talk about them. If there is one thing that I have learned it’s that you are never alone. You are never a burden when it comes to your mental health. I’ve had some amazing people in my life. Some people that I have opened up to led me to seeking out an ear to listen and a voice to speak up.
Yes, it does take bravery to learn to seek out help and talk about your journey with others. I have learned that it is scary and requires a great load of vulnerability and courage. This may not always be easy. And that is the beauty in it. Being afraid doesn’t take away from the bravery you have in your journey with mental health. It shows your strength to overcome hard things. This is still something that I have to work on, but my journey to do it has begun.
