But You Look So Normal…

But you look so normal… If I had a dollar of the amount of times I have been told that… well i probably wouldn’t need to work another day in my life – ok… slight over exaggeration… but I’ve heard it ALOT!! It’s funny – I never quite know how to respond… blank face… slow blink… polite smile… laughter… maybe all of the above? Actually usually all of the above… Sometimes I make a joke – “what am I meant to have an extra head or something?” Apparently I’m not a comedian – although I think I’m freaking hilarious…

The thing about mental illness is that you can’t see it… One of my closest friends described it beautifully when she called it a ‘silent disability’. I loved that description because it is true – so many people who coexist with mental illness display no signs… they ‘look so normal’ – even to their most inner circle… I have actually been told that I’m too ‘beautiful’ to be mentally ill (insert eyebrow raise here…) what do I even say to that?? Um… Thanks??

When someone commits suicide, their family, friends, work colleagues etc often reply with “but there were no signs”, “if only we had known”… The thing is mental health is not completely silent… there are signs regardless of how small… there are ALWAYS there… we just need to open our eyes and see.

Coexisting with this silent disability is the loneliest of lives – even for an introvert like me… the signs I was unintentionally emitting going unnoticed for years by those who were close… until they could be ignored no longer… we all know what happened there…

KABOOM

Yep… was not pretty… It is so much easier to remain in a state of blindness… But what if we lived in a world where people are seen… I mean REALLY seen… Then what if we don’t ignore what we SEE… What if we were to acknowledge what we see… What if we were to act on what we see… Close your eyes for just a minute and visualise that world… What do you see? What do you feel? Do you feel anything at all? Tell me!! I want to know what you see!!

I personally do not see a ‘perfect’ world – because there will always be unbalance. I do however envision a world where people aren’t afraid to call for HELP!! Where not only is your cry heard… but people come running!! (maybe not literally – my children and partner have actually asked me not to run EVER – something about it being embarrassing to watch or some such thing…) I envision people leaning on each other… Loving each other… Trusting each other… A world where there is no shame in stumbling from time to time… but when you do someone catches you… they lift you up… then safety envelopes you…

Approximately eight million people lose their lives every year due to mental health disorders… Unlike other conditions that have been eradicated through world wide vaccination programs… The only way we can get on top of it, is to stop ignoring its existence… But who is willing to open their eyes…

Are you??