Let's talk about it! I'm tired of the feelings of shame and silencing of mental health issues. Just the time it took me to let myself write this post battling through the feelings of shame that arose.
I take medication to help myself care for my mental and physical wellbeing. Which honestly has been one of the most helpful tools I added to my arsenal to deal with my physical and mental health. As my physical conditions change and are partly not under my control . It is very helpful to have a tool that helps give me more space in my depository of mental and physical health. That doesn't mean this journey was easy it just means it's been worth it.
Step 1 was talking to a psychiatrist. Now, this wasn't the first time I had spoken to a psychiatrist. I had been to one before but wasn't in a space of giving myself the care that I needed. I didn't fully believe that I could use the help. I had a deep sense of wanting to be independent and felt that getting any help was ruining my independence. It didn't help that societies voices always found a place in my mind claiming I was weak, that I needed help for my mind.
Step 2 was listening to the psychiatrist. Which actually took 3 meetings and about 6 months between each one. Why? Even with her handing me a tool that could make my life exponentially better; I still felt completely isolated . That I was the only one who couldn't handle life without extra help. After talking to various people and coming to the conclusion that the excuses of other humans how they would react to medications . Is NOT a good reason to not take care of myself in the best way possible. I then filled the prescription and actually started taking care of myself.
The biggest hurdle that I had to overcome to start my journey of caring for my mental health was shame. The shame that comes from silence. The pharmacist constantly runs out of my medication. Yet no one discusses the facts in a healthy light and gives it legitimate space in healthcare. The facts that medication is not a crutch rather a tool to help me function better in the world. So with this post, I hope to try and shatter a little of the bubble of silence surrounding mental health care. Let's get the conversation started.
