Mental Health: What is Your Status?

The picture above is me when I was 21 and now when I’m 43. A lot has happened since then.

Mental health is important to harness. Mental unhealth is a struggle and a reality. Becoming mentally healthy is a choice; this is also a reality. Mental health can be obtained via self-education/self-help/lifestyle changes…very rarely is medication needed.

Mentally healthy people have a choice and a right not to share company with those who are mentally unhealthy; those who are unhealthy can drag down those close to them who are healthy and this is called ‘codependency’.

Oftentimes, those who are mentally unhealthy must walk their journey alone until they become mentally healthy. Once a mentally unhealthy person becomes mentally healthy then he or she can become a productive member of society and work to educate society on how to become mentally healthy.

I was born into a mentally unhealthy family who created mental unwellness in me and as a young adult, I subconsciously gravitated toward those who were mentally unhealthy, because I subconsciously sought out those who reflected the maladaptive tendencies of my family members. In my late 20’s, I realized that my mental unwellness was a maladaptive behavioral pattern resulting from childhood trauma and so I began a self-help journey to reverse the damaging effects of living among my family members throughout my formative years. For years, I walked alone in my journey (secretly I called myself ‘Bruce Banner’).

I allowed no one into my inner circle while I studied and practiced mentally healthy behaviors. By age 36-40, I became mentally healthy. Now, I incorporate mentally healthy people into my life. I educate others on how to become mentally healthy. Personal and civic responsibility are important to consider. It is a ‘victim mentality’ to expect anyone mentally healthy to suffer the abuses of the mentally unhealthy, which is much like a drowning person trying to save him/her self by clinging to those who can stay afloat.

There are mental health professionals (MHP), self-help books, and educational information available for those who need and seek advisement for self-improvement.

Don’t drown others in an attempt to save yourself. Contact a MHP to learn how to save yourself.