The Other Side of Mental Health

Hi everybody,

It has been a while since I posted last and the reason why is actually the topic of this post. Pain. Illness. Anything that causes you physical distress can also affect your mental state.

I have been in an unbearable amount of pain recently for no known reason. I have been to emergency rooms and doctors offices looking for answers but no one has any yet. All I have gotten so far is “take this pain medicine”, which I absolutely despise!!!! If I refuse said pain medication then they think that I am not in as much pain as I say and it can’t be that bad. No one stops to think that maybe I don’t want to be addicted to pain killers, I don’t want the side effects, I don’t want the added mental numbness. All of this feeds depression, telling me that my ailment is not as bad as I think it is and to just ignore it as best I can. It feeds anxiety, telling me it is much worse of an issue than anyone is willing to look at.

I think that sometimes people forget that being sick can make someone more depressed, more anxious, more irritable for no reason. And not all illness is seen on the outside. I just had a college professor (with good intentions) tell me I looked fine when I told him I might have to leave early due to pain. I don’t think he meant any harm by saying this but he made me have to try and justify my pain to him. Honestly this made me unsure of myself. I shouldn’t have to justify my pain to the person trying to teach me college courses. It is real. I have many invisible illnesses that you can’t see, that doesn’t make them less real.

Anyway that is all I am going to write for today. Just remember everyone goes through their own battles, whether that is emotional, mental, physical, ect. Be patient. Be kind.