Is it okay though?

Mental health awareness week is a wonderful opportunity to write about something which really should be written about all the time. I started this blog primarily to write about teaching and education in general, which is why I wondered whether it should be used to write about something 'unrelated' But actually, mental health is impossibly intertwined with our profession. Whether that be through the young people we care about, our colleagues or ourselves; poor mental health and maintaining the magical work-life balance which is so heftily promoted, is difficult and as a consequent, our mental health will be a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

And so here it is: a blog post prompted by mental health awareness week. The current situation we all find ourselves in is something none of us have ever known before and I think we can all agree that existing mental health issues will undoubtedly be exacerbated, and new ones will develop. With lockdown still lingering, the struggle of being physically separated from many of the people we care about is proving to be difficult. Something which we one took for granted has been taken away from us and there's not even anyone we can blame to let our anger out! I know most of us are fortunate to be able to communicate via technology of some sort - but it's definitely not the same. 

Beyond the limited physcial proximity to other human beings, the dreaded Covid-19 virus has also messed with out minds in a a more fundamental way. It is now painfully obvious that humans cannot necessarily solve every problem - we do not have the answers to everything. The universe shas the power to stop us in our tracks. Our futures don't feel like ours anymore; what can we plan? Should we bother getting excited about anything? So many strategies people may have developed to deal with their anxiety or depression might not work in the world we are currently living in. 

There is no doubt that there are some huge positives to being forced to slow down ojur lifestyles. We can take time to enjoy the luxuries you don't have to pay for. We can help small, local businesses and spend more time with the family members we live with. All that being said, the transition from a life being led at 120mph to this is hard! It shouldn;t be underestimated that we are essentially mourning what life was like before and adapting to our new normal. Everyone is. 

So in light of that, mental health awareness is more poignant than ever; and I think the major issue we need to address is the education around it. Anxiety is more often than not associated with panic attacks. There are so many other manifestations of anxiety: butterflies, breathlessness, craving for attention. People are so diffierent and our bodies showcase our issues in different ways; which is why I (controversially I know) really dislike the phrase "It's okay to not be okay." No it isn't. 

Hear me out...

Yes, it is acceptable to discuss mental health and to be honest about how you are feeling and how you are or aren't coping. No one should ever be embarrassed or ashamed of their own mental health. What I dislike about the phrase is the acceptance of 'not being okay.' To me, it implies a giving up or an admittance that poor mental health is here to stay. When actually, it's not okay to not be okay. It's not okay to feel anxious or terrified or utterly hopeless on a regulalr basis. That is never okay and no-one should have to feel like it. What we need is a phrase which allows people to recognise that they need help and that help is out there - it's okay to talk to people, it's okay to be honest and ask for help. But it's not okay to have poor mental health. The 'norm' should be, if not happiness, then at least a working towards it. 

It isn't fair to see coping as 'enough'; addressing and over-coming poor mental health is completely possible and I wish this could be the message we could share this week. Society simply 'accepting' poor mental health isn't good enough. How widespread it isnshouldn't make it the 'norm.' We should be helping one another to see the light at the end of the tunnel and let one another know we can come out of the other side. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I see 'It's okay to not be okay" as giving up the fight.