It's a time to be kind

Today I’d like to write more about mental health during this time of crisis. I know there are a lot of you out there that are suffering at different stages. 

Some are already suffering from illnesses, or family members are causing great loneliness, anxiety, grief, sadness and even anger. There are those that don’t normally suffer from it that are feeling the “cabin fever” and in that wanting to do more things that in the end could do more harm than good. There are those caught up in conspiracies and the controversy of our times and of the information we are receiving that let it get so bad that they think of nothing else. 

Right now I’m at a stage where at times I just want to sleep. I want to shut the world out because it’s just too much. I have family and friends who are greatly at risk too and even myself who is at risk should I even step outside to go get groceries. It’s a frightening thing. It’s on some days and for some, could be pure terror. 

I would like to take a moment to send my heartfelt condolences to those families and the community in Nova Scotia who recently witnessed one of the worst tragedies that our country has seen, to those that lost a family or friend to this mass shooting. I feel for you because not only do you have this to contend with regarding the virus but now this insanity. They have no reason yet for the cause of this person’s actions; be it true insanity and inability to cope with what is going on or if it was a conscious thing and we may never truly know. Either way I have to say that this person was clearly ill in some manner for doing such a thing. And this is where I want to talk about further mental crisis.

A lot of us don’t think these things could or would even happen in our lifetime.  Some of us may allow this to consume our thoughts so much that we think of ways to get back at the government or we try to presume that we know what’s really going on and we piece together narratives out of random information given, now granted I’m not going to deny that I am at fault of this myself. I’m not going to sit here and say well, these conspiracies don’t ever make any sense. In fact I am going to say that a lot of them do, however, we can’t allow these narratives to be all that we hear and see and allow our minds to be overwhelmed and consumed by them to a point where we go mad and can’t sleep or eat. It can be too much. The news can be too much for some and just seeing the world in shambles is enough to make one want to break down and cry. This is why I don’t watch or read news regularly. I stopped watching sometime in my late teens during the early 2000’s if not actually earlier than that because it was always negative. There was nothing positive. 

Social media has much of the same and has become our new news outlet and source of full on information but it shouldn’t be. I get if it’s from the government website direct or a particular newspaper of your hometown, but let’s be honest we’re also coming across info that is and isn’t true via invalidated sources. We’ve all been guilty at one time or another that we didn’t read an article and blindly posted or we read it thinking it to be true or sometimes we just post it out of interest’s sake and then we get bombarded by comments of a negative nature.  Let us all be kind to one another please? I’ve seen so many bashing another especially politically, yes I know I don’t like the US President as I don’t agree with what he’s doing or what or who he stands for and because of what he’s also done in the past. I think he has a disregard for human life and that’s not something we should be tolerating among other things but, that aside I’m not going to sit here and argue with someone who can’t even be bothered to look at facts and call them names because I’m bored. This is essentially detrimental to my health and waste of my time to be negative and lash out at someone and so it is with everyone. It really is a waste of time to be lashing out at what?  You're expending energy being angry and negative. Be angry at what you’re angry at but don’t take it out on others, there is no need and no need to be a bully.  This is not the time to be fighting and if that’s all you can do find something else that will fuel positivity and get some help discussing these issues in a safe and positive environment such as talking to a doctor online or a counselling program. 

If you’re struggling don’t hesitate and don’t feel ashamed for asking for help. It’s not something we should be ashamed of. We have made it a stigma that those who are “successful” should have everything they want and be happy all the time. They don’t and aren't.  Look at some of the most famous people who have depression and or committed suicide. Robin Williams comes to mind immediately.  I also compare this to one of my friends stories she told me. One story of a neighbour bully that seemed like she always wanted what my friend had and her parents gave it to her if she asked but I wonder though and I told my friend as she was laughing at her and making fun that this bully likely is doing poorly now and so on, but I told her to think of it this way: You don’t know what she had as a child. She possibly was jealous yes but for what? Not because of the things you had materially, but what about the love of your parents, the attention and time spent and the good memories you had that she didn’t? What about if her parents worked a lot and weren’t home and so she wasn’t close to anyone. She didn’t have siblings so she didn’t have people to look after or play with the way my friend did so that makes a difference too. I think back at some of the bullies and people I knew way back when and wonder how they are mentally and if they're happy or at least satisfied with some part of their life enough for them to keep living and positively affect others.  We can’t assume that everyone has what we have and we can’t assume that everyone is mentally the same as we are. 

People cope in different ways and I ask that all of my readers think of this and that you reach out to those you think might  be struggling because even though they may say they’re fine, they’re ok, they’re actually possibly not and just the gesture of saying hey do you need anything? Do you need to talk? I’m here. That’s all they sometimes need to hear to help them even through that one day.Maybe they're coping just about as much as you are and you both need to hear that you aren't alone. 

I know I’ll likely repeat these sentiments a lot during this time of crisis. But we really need to be supportive of each other and stop beating each other up over things that really are so trivial.

For now be kind, be safe and stay healthy. Keep your mind occupied with positive self love and reach out to others.  Take care friends!