Your Mental Health is a Priority

Metal Health Day: Did you know one in five people in the united states is affected by a mental illness? Mental health is often times brushed under the rug because it is not visual like a broken bone would be, but it is just as important as any other health concern. When someone breaks their leg they nurse it, take care of it, people help them out in order to heal it. When someone is struggling with a mental illness, not many people do anything to help, the person just keeps on pushing without any self care and it becomes worse. Actively we can come together to educate, reduce the risks, and spread love. We can all create a safe environment that does not cause shame and silence. I believe we should all share our stories and end the stigma. I am going to share a bit my story in hopes that it helps someone gain the strength to share and conquer theirs. I am writing this because I want to stress how influential maintaining your thoughts and feelings can be on your mental wellness. Art Therapy is a great outlet for this. Bottling up emotions can be dangerous and can lead to a person displaying or releasing their emotions in a toxic way. I am so glad that I found Art Therapy for this reason. Art allows me to have a positive outlet for my emotions. It truly helps with any issues I am going through. I discover more and more out about myself every time I sit down and make artwork for myself.

A bit about my mental health journey: I struggle with Trichotillomania. When I am feeling anxious, stressed, sad or feeling like I have no control, I pull my hair out (mainly my eyebrows and eyelashes). I have done this for so long now that sometimes I do this unconsciously. When I first discovered that this habit was a diagnosed disorder I felt so alone, embarrassed and weird. I never told anyone about it even though my close family and friends knew I did it. When I started to address my anxiety and how I deal with it so many people I knew started sharing their experience with anxiety and specifically Trichotillomania with me. I did not feel alone anymore. This made me feel powerful. I still do pull my hair, it is extremely hard for me to stop. I know I am getting better though, and one day I will be able to be confident enough to go out in public without filling my eyebrows in. I am taking it one step at a time, trying not to discourage myself when I do have a bad day or week because it will happen. There are people to talk to, people who understand you, and so many resources for any mental illness. People with mental illness' are never alone, it is extremely important for us to know this. I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. It effects the social, emotional and behavioral aspects of myself. Some days are great and then some days are not, sometimes leading to a depressed mood. Being conscious of what triggers these emotions for me is what has helped me the most. I choose to not be medicated, I have gone through talk therapy as well as Art Therapy. I cannot stress how vital it is to seek help for any mental health issue. Therapy is something that cannot be forced, a person has to want to go or the results will not come. To deal with my anxiety, I go to therapy, I make artwork, I mediate, and I use essential oils. I have self care times in order to deal with what I am going through. Every person with a mental health issue experiences it and copes differently. What helps one person may not help the next.

Ending the Stigma: I try to be kind to everyone (even though it is difficult at times) because I know what is is like to go through something and having to act like I was okay when I was not. So, be loving always. You never know what someone is dealing with. It is important to know the signs of mental illness in order to help friends, family, coworkers, ect. Joking about mental illness is not acceptable. Making an illness a joke will not help people with these illnesses feel safe or understood. We need to stop undermining mental illness and take initiative. Everyone needs to know that it is OKAY to not be okay. We are surviving. Every human is important.

Trichotillomania - Anxiety disorder with the urge to pull out hair from the scalp, eyebrows, or other areas of the body. Symptoms can include compulsive hair pulling and hair loss.

More than 200,000 people report having Trichotillomania per year in the United states.

More than 40 million adults in the United States report having Anxiety disorders.