Devin Dornbrock Unfortunately, it is very common for many people to keep their hardships to themselves. Whether it’s stress, a challenging project, or especially their mental health, it feels easier to bottle things up so you don’t make anyone else deal with your issues, which is not healthy. You are not a burden for seeking help. Most people will find their burdens much lighter to carry when they don’t have to do it alone.
We All Struggle Sometimes
The hardest issues to deal with are the chronic ones, and nothing is harder to deal with than chronic mental health issues. It’s a nasty beast to deal with, especially on your own. Things like anxiety and depression will strike when you least expect it. Not to mention that studies have found that it isn’t getting any easier to deal with either.
In general, the state of mental health in the US has been on the decline; nearly 20% of people in the US struggle with mental illness and most people who do develop it by their early 20s. Basically, it’s increasingly normal for young people to have a hard time with their mental health.
Which also means it should be increasingly normal to seek help. The worst thing you can do when you’re feeling overwhelmed, especially by mental health, is try to handle it on your own. Mental health isn’t all that different from physical health. When something is wrong, the logical thing to do is to go to a doctor.
I know it can also be tough to reach out for help, especially on the bad days when your mental health is at its worst. You can feel like you aren’t worth it or that you’re just trauma-dumping on people who have better things to be doing.
What’s important to remember is that no one wants you to suffer on your own. If someone can help, most people would be happy to.
Cut Yourself Some Slack
I think we’ve all been there-when you just hate everything about yourself and question whether your loved ones really love you in return. You question every gesture and every kindness, wondering about your worth and if you’re adding value to people’s lives.
Stopping those kinds of thoughts is hard.
So, the next time you’re having a bad day and start spiraling, try to take a deep breath. Your existence isn’t contingent on adding value. Your life doesn’t depend on what you can provide others. No matter who you are, your life is precious and worth living.
Even if you’ve made mistakes or done things you aren’t proud of. Nobody is perfect.
We all mess up occasionally, and it doesn’t make you less of a person if you do from time to time. The important thing isn’t the mistakes you made in the past but the steps you’re taking to improve in the future. You are not a burden for seeking help. It makes sense to seek it out when you can’t handle everything on your own.
Beating yourself up over the things you can’t change is only going to make you miserable. It’s normal to ask for help when something is too much for you, whether that means going to someone physically stronger to help you carry a heavy load or going to a therapist for your mental health.
There will always be things you can’t handle on your own. There’s no shame in admitting that and reaching out to others.
Treat Yourself the Way You Treat Others
Most people are incredibly sympathetic to their friends when someone they care about is struggling. I, for one, always try to encourage my loved ones when I know they’re struggling with an issue, whether that means being hands-on and helping them out or just offering to lend them an ear.
Odds are you don’t think less of someone you care about when they’re overwhelmed. The same goes for you. No one who matters will think any less of you for admitting you can’t handle everything alone.
It can be easy to be harder on yourself than on others. It is also easy for most people not to judge someone feeling scared and vulnerable. What is infinitely harder is extending that same grace to yourself, especially when you’re stressed out and start spiraling into a cycle of self-deprecation.
Don’t Take Your Mental Health Lightly
When it comes to mental health, a lot of things are easier said than done. You can talk all you want about how important therapy is and even encourage others to get help when they need it, but it’s meaningless if you don’t follow your own advice. Many younger people especially have a hard time following through with getting help for themselves.
Ignoring your problems won’t make them go away. Loneliness and depression can especially make life a lot harder. Some days are going to be more challenging than others. You’ll want to give up and shut yourself away from the world so they won’t have to deal with your problems. I promise, though, that you are more loved than you know.
You are not a burden. No one needs to suffer alone.
