There is something that I wanted to talk about that we all know of already, just maybe we don’t all recognise it. I want to bring it to your attention because I think it is really important to understand and be aware of.
Lately, life has been like walking through concrete, and it is like that for a lot of us. Every step is so exhausting and sometimes you feel like you should just stop trying and let yourself get trapped in it. This whole year we have been told continuously that “everyone is going through the same thing. We aren’t alone and we know exactly how you feel”. I have to admit, I have said this a lot too and sometimes, although people say it in a supportive and positive way, it doesn’t always help. “we know exactly how you feel”. Let’s talk about that for a second. This pandemic has affected the whole world, yes. The impact of it has affected every single one of us, I know that. But nobody knows exactly how you feel. I am sure that if someone actually knew ‘exactly’ how you felt, they wouldn’t just be doing a year assembly or a one minute motivational talk before they go off teaching you about animal cells. I know that if someone where to know ‘exactly’ how you feel, they would be be doing a lot more than they are right now.
So why did I even say that? To make you feel lonely? To make you feel weird? No. I said it because sometimes whenever we think some crazy stuff that can seem scary, and someone says it is normal, we begin to play it off and think that it is this bad for everyone. Then you might begin to feel weak because you can’t handle all the things that supposedly everyone goes through. But that isn’t true. Yes we have all been through the pandemic, but we haven’t all been through the same thoughts and trials. Not one of us have had the same emotions and same feelings and thoughts as you and I don’t think we ever will. And I want you to know that if you are struggling, then it doesn’t matter if it is normal or not because you deserve help. Even if it was normal, everyone would need help. But the truth is, the things you are going through are not normal. But that is ok, as long as you talk about it with someone. Try to figure it out with someone. People just say the whole “we know how you feel” thing as a way to show they are here for you. They don’t know a damn thing about what you are going through so don’t let what they say get to you.
You can also see it in another way. Nobody has any clue what anyone is going through. So while you might think that you are the only one having a really difficult time, one of the loud guys at the back of the class could be depressed or have troubles of your own. The school bully could be having family problems. I mean it doesn’t excuse what they do but they life probably isn’t perfect either. This can be a bit confusing for people as well because then they think that if everyone is going through something, it is fine to struggle, but that isn’t true. It just means that more people need help. We can’t compare ourselves to others, especially when it come to mental health because we have no way of knowing how they feel and what they are going through. It is literally impossible to do that.
So I guess, to wrap up this weeks weekly reminder, just know that you don’t have to stay quiet because “everyone feels this way” because that is completely false. But also to know that you aren’t a weirdo for feeling how you feel. I hope you have a great day, stay safe and stay yourself PERIODT
Periodt 