There is a real problem in mental health, when we are judged by how well we present ourselves “publicly.”
There is an agenda, that those who “recover,” get the spotlight, over those who, in simple terms, have not recovered.
Therefore, perhaps there is some “standard” of recovery after all! And, that has to do with how good you are at “faking” being well!
During the course of my illness, I have found myself, time and again, “faking” being well.
I am not well! I have numerous symptoms of a chronic illness, to which there is no real letup and no real cure.
I do what I do to have a better life while managing severe mental illness, but guess what, I don’t have a better life with this illness!
I am continually plagued with symptoms. Symptoms that have transcended some with greater awareness. But, that have not been eradicated by any means!
I still have delusions. I still have hallucinations. I still have depression. I still have anxiety.
I am ill! And, there is a lot going on with me symptom-wise every day!
Love this post. I’ve recently gone through a three-month phase where I thought I was “better”. You are inspiring me to write about what happened and my thinking on this, and to see where that takes me, so thanks. And no, I am not “better” from my illness.
I would also like to say the following: I find it difficult to continue blogging about my own mental health, because of the exposure. Simply put, I don’t want to alienate people in my life (Facebook contacts) who may not understand the nature of mental health as well as I would like. I worry about the stigma. Yet here I am, still expressing myself, still wanting to blog. What would you say to this? Warm regards from across the pond, Anna
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Hi there! I don’t share my blog with anyone on Facebook, and only a few people in my personal life. It’s important to establish boundaries in my case. I do not want some of these people reading about themselves. 😉 Keep on blogging! It helps others, as well as yourself!
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Also, you are not writing for anyone else, you are writing for yourself! Best of luck and I am subscribing!
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I do my best to fake it. But my house shows how you can’t fake full on recovery. I want to believe in recovery but sometimes i wonder if it’s a fairy tale
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I hope the best for everyone here. This living with chronic illness gig is not great. So, speaking to you from my day to day (and, in a nutshell), I am not able to lead an active life. I put it in these terms, because I was just reading “a” definition of recovery. No matter what I do, or how hard I try… I am not able! It’s an unpopular approach, and some people shun me because of my position. And, I don’t say that to discourage anyone, but my illness doesn’t afford me a busy or active life. COVID or no COVID, I have quite a limited supply of energy, among my other daily struggles.
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Totally understandable. I think i get caught up in the life i had before all my mental issues caught up with me. And wanting it back but really i was very toxic so i need to realize that before i put it on a pedestal. Wow i think i just realized something… thank you
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I relate to the toxicity in my life before too. Thanks.
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I can relate to this. I feel that there have been times where deep inside I know I am struggling but because I have had to just be OK on the outside and “fake” a smile it sometimes gave me a false sense of security that nothing was wrong of me. So many people are struggling on the inside but “fake” being well because of the stigma that still exists.
Great post and thanks for sharing!!
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Keep doing your best! 🙂 Much of my pre-diagnosis life I was depressed and/or anxious. I didn’t know that what I was experiencing was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of my mental health symptoms. We are all different and are all battling stuff. One day at a time.
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I have pretended to be well at times. But my husband automatically knows when is something is wrong and sometimes its annoying.
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Thanks for sharing and for commenting!
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Our system only values functionality so that people can be pushed back into the work world until they burn out or have (in the case of c-PTSD) a new round of panic attacks, and then end up back in the system, in one way or another. Very short-sighted, but very symptomatic of our culture in general, nowadays.
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I agree. And, I also believe that when you speak the truth about this “cycle,” some people shun you! Oh well! Thanks for commenting…
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This is true.
Have a good weekend,
Shira
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I’ve had to fake a lot in order to survive, and say things carefully to get accommodations (no legal provisions in my country) without tipping people off, but ultimately that was 1 major reason I burned out after 7 years at my last job.
Faking takes an emotional toll, for sure, no matter how needed it is for us to survive.
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I feel this can be true in lots of situations, often it can seem easier to appear “ok” in public, meanwhile I feel people can pretend to be perfectly recovered when seeing people who may have some idea of what the other has been through in the past. There is honestly so much stigma 😦
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Yes. There is. Thank you for commenting!
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