Understanding When You Need Help with Mental Health

There comes a time with our mental health, where we sit ourselves down and finally realise that we’re really not okay – that we’re struggling, we can’t see a way out, or that it’s all just getting too much to handle alone. Let me tell you now – there is no shame in admitting we need help, because everybody needs help from time to time.

Once we realise that what we’re dealing with is something we can’t deal with alone, we can begin taking the necessary steps to reach out, and finally get the help we need. But I know it’s never quite that easy.

Let’s visualise it, for those who can’t quite imagine how it may feel to be in this position. You know when you’re watching a TV show, and someone has a devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other? That’s kind of what it’s like when we think about speaking up about struggling. We have one voice, that is endearing; a motherly voice, that says “It’s okay if you need help – we all need it sometimes, things will get easier once we reach out.” But then we also have the other voice, the voice of our anxiety once again speaking up, which tells us “We can’t tell people how we feel! They’ll never understand, they will laugh, and shame us.”.

As unfortunate as it is to say: both of these voices are right.

We know we need to get help, we know we have people around who would support us and do anything they can to help us if they knew we were in need, but it’s never easy to be that vulnerable in front of people. Additionally, there is still so much stigma around anxiety and mental health that it can feel impossible to reach out, leaving us feeling even more alone than before.

I can’t help but sympathise with everyone that is told to get help, but never told how.

So, this is for you:

1. Admit that you need help.
2. Write down how you feel, in the case you become overwhelmed and cannot verbally express yourself.
3. Confide in a close friend or family member, or perhaps a trusted colleague, someone who you trust and know to be understanding.
4. Be honest – with both them and yourself, about your struggles.
5. Let them help you. They can help you get the help you need.
6. If your mental health becomes overwhelming, make a doctors appointment. (I know this can be scary, and feel like a big step, but I promise that all doctors want to do is to help).
7. Figure out what it is that you need you would benefit from. Are you looking for someone to talk to, such as a therapist or counsellor? Or are you more so looking for techniques you can use everyday that can keep your anxieties at bay?
8. Begin the process of embracing and overcoming your mental health problems.

Once you start your journey of admitting your situation, and look at reaching out, the rest will come easy.