First off, this is my late-posted blog post because I made a boo-boo and got off track for the colors each week. I thought that since I had about two weeks where I posted a CI blog weekly on accident in the beginning of the semester that I had the correct number of posts that I needed… well I shortly after realized that I was wrong! So, with that being said, here is my final post, better late than never!
As my last post of the semester, I decided to use it to wrap things up. For those who have checked out my blog more than just once- thank you! Mental health is something that is obviously near and dear to my heart, so I felt that making it the theme for my civic issue blog was fitting.
As you have seen from my previous posts, the effects of mental health, both good and bad, are all around us. It is becoming increasingly more common for people to experience symptoms of mental illness, let alone develop the illness in entirety. Because it is increasing at such a rapid rate, there is a ginormous stigma towards mental illness and those who claim they suffer from it. We all know someone who has been or is being affected by mental illness or at the very least, experienced symptoms of mental illness for one reason or another. This is something that affects us all and should not be put on the back burner.
My goal for this blog was to definitely expose you to the concept and hopefully break a bit of that stigma that seems like it comes to natural to us. Although both of those reasons are important and were prevalent every week that I posted, my main focus was to materialize the issues that mental illness causes in our world that just so happen to occur all around us. I wanted you to see examples of people battling the disease and see where mental illness is present. By having a better understanding of how common it is and how prevalent this obstacle affects our lives, we can realize the importance of knowing how to deal with it ourselves or helping those around us overcome the struggle they face.
Struggling from a mental illness is not just a personal disturbance. As one who goes through life on a daily basis with this struggle, it is affecting not only them, but those around them to care the most. Yes, it is hard to deal with these feelings and you may have and feel as though it is impossible to overcome the illness, but those who are around you care just as much about your health as you do, if not more. It is extremely important to realize the Importance of having a strong support system, because without surrounding yourself with people who have a genuine and invested interest in your well-being, you are not helping yourself. I am a firm believer that a person can only be as strong as the people behind them. Having a solid support system is what helps us through any adversity in our lives, especially one like mental illness.
If you got anything out of my blog this semester, I hope that it was no matter your race, religion or socioeconomic status, you have a great chance of experiencing mental illness. Whether it be small, infrequent symptoms or on a grander scale on a day to day basis, the chances are high and are growing. Although we may not be able to prevent mental illness from coming into many peoples’ lives, we can ensure that those who experience this struggle has the support they need in order to cope or overcome it.