I want to take a second to write about mental health awareness, and if you’re reading this on Tumblr, I hope you’ll take the time to not only read it, but to reblog it, and actually spark some conversation. This week just gone was dubbed as ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’, I think that’s awesome. A whole week dedicated to awareness about mental health issues. But what does that actually mean?

To me, it means actually being aware that mental health issues exist, and what it’s like to live with them. I’ve been thinking about stuff that Heads Above The Waves could and should do to practically help people, and realised one of the challenges is getting people to understand why someone would self-harm. If it’s something that’s never affected you, then it’s an alien concept, and hard to relate to and sympathise with. That rings true for any mental health issue – if you’ve never been hit with full blown depression, then you won’t fully understand why telling someone who’s depressed to “just cheer up” doesn’t really work.

So maybe mental health awareness can work in another way. Letting people know about the issues that exist, yes, but more than that; making people aware of how to help people struggling with mental health issues – whatever they may be. If you know what it’s like to live with a mental health issue, share your experiences with others. Or even have the discussion about how you would want to be treated. Often times a negative reaction comes from a lack of understanding. So by literally just talking about mental wellbeing more often, you could save someone from a negative reaction when they open up to someone about what they’re going through.

Mental Health Awareness could even simply be making someone aware that you’re struggling with a mental health issue. Speaking about it might be really hard or scary at first, so be sure you’re speaking to someone you can trust and who makes you feel accepted as you are. But what you’ll (hopefully!) find is that the more you talk about it, the easier it becomes. And the more people that do talk honestly and openly about self-harm, depression, or any mental health issue. By making your voice heard, you’re letting other people know that they’re not alone. That might not sound like a huge amount to you, but it can make the world of difference knowing that someone else out there in this crazy old mixed up universe has been through the same thing and survived to tell the tale.

And here’s the real game changer. It shouldn’t just be for a week. This is stuff that needs to be happening all year round. Conversations should be happening all the time. People should become more aware of issues facing others, as well as how to help them. People struggling with mental health issues should know where to turn for help, and know that when they reach out, they’ll be met with understanding and helpfulness, not stigma or shame. So please: do someone a favour – share this post, share Heads Above The Waves, share a conversation with someone. You never know how far it’ll reach, or how much of a difference it’ll make to people, but it’s so important, that you can’t really afford to ignore it.

– Si