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sorchawenchIt's come to my attention that some people I know are of the mind that perhaps I shouldn't be discussing my anxiety disorder and depression in an open forum like Facebook, but should instead perhaps keep it under wraps and shared with family and close friends only.
This opinion is theirs. As if Anxiety Disorder and Depression were something shameful, to be kept hidden. As if my emotions and moods were something to be kept in the closet, hidden from polite society.
A personal weakness that makes me a weak person.
They fear that this weakness diminishes me in the eyes of the rest of the world. That you think less of me as a capable functioning adult, because sometimes I have bad days that overwhelm me.
Well. Let me open this closet door and let some light shine in.
Because if this was you, then you my friend, have been sadly misinformed.
I'll let you know now that your concerns have been heard. On one level, I appreciate your concern. Thank you for looking out for me. But on the other you need to understand something. I have come a long way, through a very dark tunnel, to get where I am today. This is MY fight, not yours. And if I choose to scream it from mountain tops, that is my business.
If my friends choose to think of me as a weak person, because I suffer from Anxiety and Depression, then that is their choice. But it weakens them in my eyes. Truly, no one who has ever suffered from a depressive issue could ever discount what a fight it is to just survive on a daily basis. No one who has ever been in the grips of uncontrolled anxiety could ever call another sufferer *weak*.
It is the ignorant *happy people* who look at someone with issues such as these as weak. Mental disorders are no different than cancer or diabetes. They are a progressive illness that when left untreated and ignored, WILL KILL the person who suffers from them.
Let that sink in for a minute. KILL THEM. Dead. End of game. They may not have been taking insulin shots for years, they may still have all of their hair, they may have looked completely healthy. All of those years.
In the end, they are no less dead than the cancer sufferer. Maybe they left a better looking corpse.
Maybe.
The thing you don't understand, my concerned friend, is that I AM just like the person with cancer. Just like the person tied to the blood sugar machine. I *HAVE* to take my medications every day OR I WILL DIE. Why do you belittle me, the person struggling to survive, yet proudly wave the pink ribbon and cheer on the cancer survivors?
So think of me as a weaker person if you want to. Discount my words, ideas, and leadership....if that is your choice. But do not think for one minute that I am going to shut this closet door to make YOU feel more comfortable. Don't think that your concerns are going to make me be less vocal, open, and less of an advocate for those with mental health issues.
You wouldn't ask the insulin dependent diabetic to please stop taking care of their health. You wouldn't ask the cancer survivor to please stop being ill around you.
Please don't ask me to shut that closet door because depression makes you uncomfortable.
I am busy surviving here.
This opinion is theirs. As if Anxiety Disorder and Depression were something shameful, to be kept hidden. As if my emotions and moods were something to be kept in the closet, hidden from polite society.
A personal weakness that makes me a weak person.
They fear that this weakness diminishes me in the eyes of the rest of the world. That you think less of me as a capable functioning adult, because sometimes I have bad days that overwhelm me.
Well. Let me open this closet door and let some light shine in.
Because if this was you, then you my friend, have been sadly misinformed.
I'll let you know now that your concerns have been heard. On one level, I appreciate your concern. Thank you for looking out for me. But on the other you need to understand something. I have come a long way, through a very dark tunnel, to get where I am today. This is MY fight, not yours. And if I choose to scream it from mountain tops, that is my business.
If my friends choose to think of me as a weak person, because I suffer from Anxiety and Depression, then that is their choice. But it weakens them in my eyes. Truly, no one who has ever suffered from a depressive issue could ever discount what a fight it is to just survive on a daily basis. No one who has ever been in the grips of uncontrolled anxiety could ever call another sufferer *weak*.
It is the ignorant *happy people* who look at someone with issues such as these as weak. Mental disorders are no different than cancer or diabetes. They are a progressive illness that when left untreated and ignored, WILL KILL the person who suffers from them.
Let that sink in for a minute. KILL THEM. Dead. End of game. They may not have been taking insulin shots for years, they may still have all of their hair, they may have looked completely healthy. All of those years.
In the end, they are no less dead than the cancer sufferer. Maybe they left a better looking corpse.
Maybe.
The thing you don't understand, my concerned friend, is that I AM just like the person with cancer. Just like the person tied to the blood sugar machine. I *HAVE* to take my medications every day OR I WILL DIE. Why do you belittle me, the person struggling to survive, yet proudly wave the pink ribbon and cheer on the cancer survivors?
So think of me as a weaker person if you want to. Discount my words, ideas, and leadership....if that is your choice. But do not think for one minute that I am going to shut this closet door to make YOU feel more comfortable. Don't think that your concerns are going to make me be less vocal, open, and less of an advocate for those with mental health issues.
You wouldn't ask the insulin dependent diabetic to please stop taking care of their health. You wouldn't ask the cancer survivor to please stop being ill around you.
Please don't ask me to shut that closet door because depression makes you uncomfortable.
I am busy surviving here.
WTF.
on 2024-01-20 11:56 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2024-01-21 02:06 am (UTC)*_*
on 2024-01-26 03:59 pm (UTC)Enjoy, camelot.. kamale(+)/γεδΊ+,!!