People have asked me why I share such personal things on social media and expressed concerns how I speak openly about my mental illness.
I totally get it. There are times people definitely over share; not everyone cares what we ate for dinner or that we’re at the gym again. I’m totally guilty of those things! My motto, if it bothers you, unfollow. I share a lot of my life because I have moved 10 times and have a large natural and spiritual family that lives all over the country and that’s the only way we keep tabs. But I share my story and my testimony because it needs to be said. Everyone’s does! Mental illness is so stigmatized that many feel they cannot talk about it. That it SHOULD NOT be talked about. It’s a “bad thing” and only “crazy” people have a mental illness. If someone is struggling with a mental illness they must be “really unstable, stay away from them”. That is why I talk about it. The more something is talked about, the less it because uncommon or unheard of. The more we talk about mental illness, the more others feel free to share their stories because they realize they are not alone. They are, in fact, NOT CRAZY and it is NOT A BAD THING! Many people struggle with some sort of mental illness and it is not that uncommon. Many worry for how people perceive me because I am so open with my walk with depression, anxiety, cutting, and suicidal thoughts. What if a guy is interested in you but doesn’t take the chance to know you because he doesn’t want to get involved with all that? My answer is simple for that one. Then he’s not the one. How about when trying to get a job and people look you up and see that you’re struggling with all these thoughts? This one is a bit more complicated. I really don’t know how to answer it, because I can see this being a legitimate circumstance. When I talked this over with my mom, my instinct response was that the reason and outcome of sharing this is so much bigger than that. I can’t play the “what if” game when the reasoning behind sharing my story is so much greater than a chance that future employment will see that I get depressed, have anxiety, used to cut, and was suicidal, and that occasionally these emotions rise to the surface. If I would have known someone who experienced things as I did when I was a teenager and in the thick of my depression I KNOW things would have been different. Maybe I would have gotten help sooner? Maybe I wouldn’t have thought that all my feelings were “wrong” and “crazy”, but realized where they were coming from. Maybe I wouldn’t have started cutting in the first place? Maybe I would have turned to God sooner? Maybe... None of that matters now. I can’t change what happened or dwell on what could have been. But I can provide that source for someone else. I can hope and pray that me “over sharing” connects with someone who needs to see it. Someone who needs to know that things get better and that their feelings are valid. That God is with them, even when it doesn’t seem like it one bit. I truly feel God had me go through everything I have so I can share it with other people. That is what a testimony is for! It is PROOF of what God can do. If anything needs to be over shared, it is THAT! So hit like, or keep scrolling, it does not matter to me. Post your food pics, your gym selfies, or all those back to school pictures that flood our times lines! Do what makes you happy! If it’s not hurting anyone, who cares? But most importantly, share your testimony! There is not one too small or one too big that you should not share! People need to know what God can do. They need to know miracles happen. That Gods love changes everything! That He is there for them, and that others are as well. If sharing even helps one person, that’s all that matters. That’s why I share. Much love and God bless, -X
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AuthorVerse of the DayArchives
July 2019
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