Correction Through Connection

Many people find the topic of mental wellbeing far too confrontational…and that attitude is potentially dangerous.

Choosing to ignore or avoid the help that is available is choosing to accept a state of mind that is often less than it could be. Struggles can be eased…the psychological load that we carry can be lightened – but it takes effort.

The life we live and the enjoyment we get from that life can always be improved. We can do better. But knowing that and doing something about it sit at opposite ends of a very broad spectrum.

The people around us will be quick to point out any physical impairment that is causing restriction or imbalance in our daily existence. And if there is something that can be done to improve our physical condition there is a very good chance that we will take it on board. Action may well follow.

Not so when it comes to our mental state. It’s far easier to look outside of ourselves and see what other people are seeing than it is to look inside ourselves and confront the person we know but keep hidden. A deterioration in mental wellbeing is not always obvious to anyone but the person it is affecting. And such deterioration is not self-correcting.

While understanding is not always possible as a starting point, acceptance is the first step towards recovery. Avoidance and selective ignorance is a way to compound the problem.

Mental wellbeing is much more than a catchy headline or clickbait. It is real and we need to be aware of its importance.

A difficulty is that it is absolutely personal. It can be awkward or embarrassing to admit that we are unable to help ourselves…that the answers we need are just out of our reach.

But help is there for the asking and often it is funded by the employer.

We may feel isolated but we are only as alone as we allow ourselves to be.