There’s a phrase I see rather a lot when I’m scrolling via social media or discovering psychological well being assets on the Web that all the time will get me considering. The idea behind all of them is that you just (or I, or anybody) is “greater than” their psychological sickness. So as an example, I’m greater than my melancholy; I’m greater than my anxiousness; I should be recognized for greater than experiencing psychological sickness. And whereas I do assume it’s a useful method to shrinking the stigma, such a method – overcoming obstacles, “beating” psychological sickness – remains to be tough for me to handle. That’s why I wish to supply an alternate phrase to make use of at present, and see how of us prefer it.
I perceive the sentiment behind I’m greater than my melancholy, and I believe it’s an effective way to shrink the stigma for many individuals. However through the years, I’ve had issue separating myself from my melancholy. Most days it feels prefer it’s as a lot a part of my as my physique, my limbs, and the remainder of my character. Different days it looks like a companion that’s following my each transfer, as if we’re on a journey and melancholy is my hapless sidekick (although it’s something however hapless). Even on days the place it isn’t so current, I can really feel it hovering over me like a cloud.
I wished to discover a means to attract that line within the sand for myself. That regardless that I’ve melancholy, regardless that I stay with melancholy, that’s not all of who I’m. And in order that’s the place I landed: I’m not my melancholy. It’s an announcement, a reminder. Despite the fact that I don’t all the time know who I’m, this makes it clear what I’m not.
Despair is part of me. It’s one thing that sits with me daily. Some days it’s dormant, resting, nearly non-existent. Different days it wakes me up within the morning and tucks me in at night time. However after years of pressured handholding, I wish to acknowledge my challenges whereas opening the door to extra.
I’m not my melancholy, I’m not my anxiousness, I’m not anyone factor. I’m an individual, a human, and my psychological sickness doesn’t outline me. But it surely is a vital a part of me. And I’ll proceed to share that, unbothered and unashamed, as a lot as I can. And I encourage anybody else to do the identical. We have now energy in our tales, and the extra we take cost of these narratives, the extra it’s potential we are able to change them.
