FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Drop Your Guard

You Are Not A Mental Illness

Why does it seem like when it comes to Mental Health, we say we are an Illness? We don’t do that with Physical Illnesses.

For example, we will say things like ‘I AM depressed’, or ‘I AM anxious’, or ‘I AM Bipolar’. When talking about others we say things like ‘You ARE depressed’, or ‘You ARE anxious’, or ‘You ARE Bipolar’.

We don’t say things like ‘I am Cancer’ or ‘You are Cancer’. (although I have known a few people to be cancerous metaphorically speaking having nothing to do with the illness *wink *wink)

When we do talk about Cancer as an illness we would say ‘I HAVE Cancer’ or ‘You HAVE Cancer’. Cancer is not who we are, it is an illness that we have.

Why don’t we do this with Mental Illnesses?

After all we are human beings with so many qualities who may simply have depression, may have anxiety, or may have Bipolar Disorder or may have some other Mental Illness.

It may not sound like a big deal but really it is. It is very important how we talk to ourselves and how we talk to each other. There is a big difference between being something and having something.

If you go through life telling yourself or being told by others ‘You are depressed’ then eventually that is what you will become. Same goes for any other Illness.

These illnesses do NOT define us. They are NOT who we are.

So let’s cut it out and stop talking like that to ourselves, and stop talking like that to each other!