Suffering Is Not A Contest

Since starting this little blog thing, there’s one phrase I keep hearing and reading that really gets me riled.

“I don’t think I’m sick enough to get help”.

Just… no.

I mean I get it. There’s this fear that even by contemplating going to a medical professional you’ll be labelled as potentially mentally ill.

But frankly, that’s dumb.

First up, you need to know.

You need to know what you have in order to manage it. And if you’re not actually mentally unwell, guess what? You’re not wasting anybody’s time. You, or your insurance, or you government, are paying a dedicated professional to assess you and give you an unbiased, objective opinion.

You’re not wasting their time or your money. They do this for a living. And you need to know.

Secondly, there’s no universal constant.

It’s not like there’s this grand unwritten measure that says “YOU MUST BE THIS ILL TO RESEARCH STUFF AND LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND CONSIDER GETTING HELP.”

This isn’t a competition. Bipolarity is a medical condition. There’s no medals here.

Rule #1 – look after #1.

Comparing your experience to those of others like it’s a grade system is just unhelpful. The only comparisons that make sense are you today versus you yesterday.

If you’re suffering, do whatever you can to find out what you need to know. Don’t hurt others and don’t hurt yourself. Stick to that mantra and you’ll be golden.