Step aside corpo speak, mental health is the buzzword of today's generation
“Oh my god, I’m so anxious.”
We’ve probably said these exact words casually or in all seriousness.
You know you’re not nervous, you know you’re not just scared or fearful.
You sense your mind going left and right, you feel your heart racing pit-a-pat — of course, you must be anxious.
Back in pre-pandemic 2019, talking about mental health illnesses such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar syndrome were considered taboo.
Though owning up to one’s emotions were admirable, having a label plastered on it just hit different. Mental health was highly stigmatised and was brushed off as a feeling one can get over — all thanks to the help of values such as faith and strength.
But time has its ways.
In an instant we were surrounded by a sea of content and information, putting us in a cycle of endless media consumption.
The passing of time pushed the rapid progress of technology, putting the evolution of the human race at a slower pace; overstimulated and overexposed to the world.
An unspoken cultural and societal expectation sprung where we constantly had to keep up with the times and say something about it — else we’re cancelled, called as ignorant or privileged.
In a strange turn of events, mental health along with the psychology of the human mind became overly embraced, maybe a little too tight as if it was a bandwagon.
From being a topic plastered with taboo, taking care of one’s mental health slowly came into surface as a reality that beckoned to be incorporated into one’s life. Together with the wave of self-awareness that mental health is of utmost importance, then stigmatised terminologies slowly became a cry of the modern age — buzzwords of today’s generation.
Knowing and embodying mental health became a necessity in people’s lifestyles, even manifesting in mantras such as work-life balance, choosing the right energy, and protecting one’s peace; to name a few.
A poor, pitiful outlook in life can now be easily self-labeled as depression.
An outburst can be quickly rationalized as a result of anxiety.
Sudden mood swings can be joked off as bipolar or schizophrenia.
One’s inability to listen can be self-labeled as ADHD symptoms.
One’s selfishness is narcissism.
Is it a good sign that mental health is now a point of relevance and conversation?
Or have we turned backwards where mental health is now a badge of honor that society beckons we have to know so we can be of relevance?
On one end, mental health is clinical and entails professional help paired with an actual diagnosis from a psychiatrist to validate and confirm whatever the patient is experiencing.
The anxiety that is caused by nervousness for an upcoming meeting is not to say the same for a person with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The depression of living in a world where a Gen Z or millennial struggles to afford anything is not the same depression someone with Major Depressive Disorder or Atypical Depression experiences.
But on the other end, mental health is, well, mental — whereas the mind feels what it feels and experiences whatever it experiences. Experiencing symptoms of mental health illnesses without being clinically proven does not mean that it should be dismissed nor discounted.
It is true that a person’s feelings will always be valid but it is also one’s responsibility to discern the situation and know if what we are experiencing is a result of life events unfolding or simply the normalcy (or complexity) of our emotions. Sometimes, things are difficult but it calls us to handle, solve, and face things head-on — and no, we don’t need to put a label on it all the time.
Mental health must not be used as a means to justify and pacify things, nor should it be used just to get what we want. In the same light, seeking professional help is a means to confirm and validate one’s preexisting illness and understand oneself deeper but is not an excuse for one to say “I told you so.”
We must tread the line carefully between acknowledging mental health issues and putting them in the light versus putting a spotlight on our vernacular with mental health just because it’s part of the larger zeitgeist of our times.
The acceptance of mental health as a true health concern has come a long way; let’s contribute in making that path foreseeable.
As mental health slowly makes its way in to the spotlight, may we keep in mind that to rally behind the cause doesn’t necessarily mean to be literally part of the cause.
Let’s give mental health the right attention it deserves.
