Jasmine desperately wants to call for help but feels too afraid to pick up the phone. What would her friends think? Or her boss? Her family? The weight of her anxiety has become unbearable. The worry about judgement and disapproval feels just as suffocating. Jasmine’s story is not unique. Almost a billion people in the world live with a mental health condition. It’s clear that our mental health needs help but stigma keeps many of us from having the kind of mental health support that is widely needed. (Stigma is the belief that all mental health struggles are socially unacceptable.)
Widespread efforts to reduce stigma have helped us become less likely to judge other people. But, it’s clear that many of us still worry that others will look down on us if they think we’re struggling. This assumption about their judgement is called self-stigma. The shame, guilt, and embarrassment about our mental health that come with the self-stigma can keep us silently suffering.
World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10th to help spread awareness, decrease stigma, and encourage individuals to take a step toward their mental health goals. One day is not enough though. We should prioritize our mental well-being every day. Please know that your mental health matters and consider the following steps to prioritize your own well-being.
Steps to Break the (Self) Stigma
Find Time for Self-Care. Take time to practice an act of self-care. This can happen even if you only have 2 minutes. It can increase your resilience and impact your mental health. Are you a busy working parent? Or, do you wish you were more motivated? Try to identify small pockets of time to focus on something that nurtures you. Then, schedule some activities. You could take a walk outside. You could complete a 2-minute guided relaxation exercise. Or, you could take a long soothing shower. Sometimes our actions actually change our thoughts. These daily choices can increase the belief that our well-being is important. We can start to see we can do something about it.
Inspect Your Thoughts. Our thoughts have a powerful influence on our emotions. Are you struggling with thoughts that are leading to shame and embarrassment about your well-being? Try examining those thoughts. A proven strategy we teach here at Learn to Live is Thought Inspection. This is a strategy where we examine the thinking patterns that lead to unhelpful emotions. New thoughts can lead to new emotions.
Build a Support Network. It’s ok if you’re not ready to seek professional help for your mental health concerns yet. Research shows that reducing loneliness with positive social communication with others helps develop a sense of stability and reduces anxiety. Consider taking the step to reach out to a trusted friend and share what you’re going through. Build or re-build connections with family members. Or, use small talk to engage with the neighbor you want to get to know better. How can you start to build and strengthen your support system? Everyone needs one.
