Mental Health Matters

What am I passionate about?

.. What am I passionate about?

I take a sip of coffee and begin to daydream. I'm passionate about so many things! I love to paint and cook and, oh, coffee! Coffee is one of the best physical experiences in the world. How can I write a compelling argument about something that's already been done more times and in more ways than I can count on my fingers and toes? Coffee may bring me joy but I don't think it's my ideal start-up.. I drift back in to my original inner monologue as I mull the idea over again.

It's been a rough couple of years for everyone I know. Losing their hobbies and social reprieves. Most people missing out on graduations and birthdays. Non-essential workers losing their jobs and their homes. Essential workers feeling the weight of working through a pandemic. Even the happiest people seem more than lost these days. A friend of mine is doing a charity event for mental health, making t-shirts. I just feel like everyone needs more than that. I can wear a "Mental Health Matters" shirt but that doesn't change how much pain we've all endured. That doesn't change how internally and externally isolated we all are right now.

Every therapist in a 100 mile radius is booked up for months and charging extra. New government funded supports have been opened up but they're hard to find and the waiting lists aren't great. Close friends of mine are scared of the pandemic and scared of seeking help, finding themselves lost to their internal battles. Struggling with anxiety and depression. Struggling with loss, suicide, and illness. I've never felt so overwhelmed about how little I can do. To top it all off, I don't even know who to blame or where to turn.

There was a point in my life where I longed to become a research psychologist. Or even just a regular psychologist. I love helping people and finding new ways to help people. I love the way that the human mind works and the way we revolve around what is socially accepted. I'm drawn towards this every time I plan for the future. Buuuut unfortunately I have a learning disorder in math which -unexpectedly and unfortunately- is one of the major requirements to get into that type of work...

That's it!- In a perfect world, I would create a safe space for people to talk about their mental health. So many people need that companionship and acceptance. I would find a way to design a website that was full of chat rooms for people looking for support and solutions. I would create additional tabs for resources and community building activities! In a perfect world, we would find peace not being suffocated in our mental isolation. In a perfect world, we would grow and develop as a community and as a whole.

I've never been struck by an idea that brought so much hope and peace. The last few days I've felt this creative energy flowing through me that I just couldn't grasp fully. My passion, in a prefect world, is to make life feel more whole, more beautiful and enjoyable. But the world I currently live in doesn't have the supports I need to follow this through. I don't have the money and no one I know does web design.

So, for right now, I can't do much. But, I'm going to keep checking in on my friends. I'm going to keep creating dialogue about the more difficult subjects that are often brushed over. I'm going to continue supporting local charities and support groups. It may not be a perfect world, yet. But every time we branch into ourselves, we branch towards each other. And in that way, I can support mental health. I can support my friends and my family. I can be the change I want to see in the world.