In the ever-evolving world of mental health, we often find ourselves working through a maze of emotions, thoughts, and experiences. Let’s play a little “This or That” game to explore what’s “normal” in mental health, or if there’s even such a thing.
This or That #1: Seeking Help or Going It Alone
Is it more normal to seek help from a therapist or counselor when you’re struggling with your mental health, or is it okay to handle things on your own? Share your experiences and thoughts on seeking professional guidance versus self-help strategies.
This or That #2: Talking About It or Keeping It Private
Is it normal to openly discuss your mental health challenges with friends and family, or is it okay to keep it private and handle it within yourself? How do you decide who to confide in, or when to keep things to yourself?
This or That #3: Daily Struggles or ‘Good’ Days Only
Is it normal to have daily struggles and ups and downs, or is it expected to have only “good” days? How do you deal with the not-so-great moments while striving for better ones?
This or That #4: Medication or Holistic Approaches
Is it normal to rely on medication as a part of mental health treatment, or is it better to explore holistic approaches like meditation, exercise, and dietary changes? Share your experiences with these choices.
This or That #5: Labels or Labels Be Gone
Is it normal to identify with a mental health label (like anxiety, depression, etc.) or do you prefer to avoid labels altogether and focus on your unique experiences? Discuss the pros and cons of labeling or not labeling.
So…
The goal here is to create an open space to talk about these important mental health topics. Remember, everyone’s journey is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Share with us your thoughts and experiences to break the stigma and support one another in this journey!
This or That #1: Seeking Help or Going at It Alone
I prefer to go at it alone first, then if I can’t figure things out or still feel affected, I’ll seek help from my partner or friends. I think for my case it’s slightly biased because I’m a trained therapist, so I have gained some “useful” skills to analyze things on my own, or prompt my own self-reflection, etc. After all these is done and I still can’t figure anything out, I’ll talk to someone, because I can’t be alone for too long (fun fact: I’m an extrovert!!)
This or That #2: Talking About It or Keeping It Private
For mental health challenges, I prefer to share it with my partner only because I don’t want to stress my parents + others. I’ll be additionally truthful here, the last time I had any mental health challenges was my last relationship break up back when I was a young adult and experienced a hint of depression, but thankfully with support I was able to feel better. I don’t have any other incidents of mental health challenges in the past 11 years, so I’m thankful for that! But yes I prefer to talk about it (again, extrovert here!)
This or That #3: Daily Struggles or ‘Good’ Days Only
I have normal daily struggles like fatigue, discouragement, and messy house (does this count?! haha) because it’s hard being a parent, but these struggles don’t determine the kind of person I am! I do have good days that I’m thankful for, and I don’t think there’ll ever be a “good days only” because I believe we’re all humans and universally we make mistakes, so there’s bound to be struggles.
This or That #4: Medication or Holistic Approaches
I personally prefer holistic approaches! I’m like the typical old aunty (picture an old lady in bed, refusing any medication) and I would rather suffer for a few days than take medication to be better (haha I know this sounds really horrible)
This or That #5: Labels or Labels Be Gone
I am totally for the Labels-Be-Gone side! As a professional I understand the need for diagnosis and labels so that the right treatment can be offered, but I feel that a person’s mind “clicks” when a label is given to him/her, and the person will (psychologically) adhere to the label, whether conscious or unconscious. I prefer to use “signs of” instead of the label, because labels seem to be very condemning in a way. I just don’t like labels!
So there you go!
Please kindly note that these are my personal perspectives and these opinions expressed do not reflect the views or opinions of all mental health professionals.
Personally, my younger self would try and cope on my own because I found it really hard to open up but in recent years I’ve learnt to slowly open up and I found it really helpful because seeking help has helped me gain a better control of my thoughts and feelings.
I really struggle to open up due to a variety of reasons such as feeling invalidated and my issues being dismissed/ being deemed as not important. My family/ some friends is quite “traditional”/ “religious”, they can’t grasp the concept of mental health and I don’t want to trouble/ burden my friends with my problems. Hence I tend to keep my issues to myself though I find comfort in opening up to my therapist cause s/he makes me feel heard and cared for.
I believe that it’s normal to struggle, in fact personally it helps me appreciate the good moments/ days more but yeah it definitely sucks to struggle especially when it becomes too overwhelming.
I am team meds lol but personally, it’s because it really helped me significantly reduce/ cope with my symptoms so that I can function normally/ better. Hoslistic approaches can be helpful but when it’s too bad, meds can be helpful/ useful.
I usually share that I struggle with depression and anxiety but I don’t really identify with a label cause my experiences are very unique to me and I don’t think a label can truly represent me. I prefer to talk, share and focus on my experiences.
