Mental Wellness is a luxury.
The Hilarious World of Depression featured Reggie Osse. Reggie Osse was a lawyer in the the hip-hop scene, a podcast host, an editor, and someone who battled depression. During this podcast episode, Reggie says “mental illness is a stigma, but mental wellness is a luxury.” Having to face a mental illness is difficult. Reggie mentions in the podcast that facing a mental illness can be an expense financially and a commitment, time-wise. Whereas mental wellness, there’s nothing that needs to done. There isn’t a financial expense that needs to take place and you aren’t having to free up anytime to take care of your mental state because it’s already in good condition.
Having a mental illness can be a roadblock in itself when it comes to getting help. A common symptom of depression is extreme apathy. This aspect of depression can be one of the biggest factors to why people don’t get help. Or why it can be such a struggle to get help. Mental illness has been known to be a controversial subject. We take the flu seriously, and we never roll our eyes when someone tells us they have diabetes. But because mental illness is not something we can physically see happening, often times people brush it off as “a bad attitude” or someone “being too sensitive”. That is the stigma we have created surrounding mental illness.
Reggie says “it’s a life change to take care of your mental state. Taking care of your mental health is something you have to break through whatever lifestyle you have to really include that in your lifestyle. The process of getting healthier is not worth it when you can escape through substances or something else.” That leads to people not seeking professional help. It’s a continuos cycle that is hard to break from. It is vital for your overall mental health to get the help you need. Finally, it’s important for people to remember that humans struggle everyday with a mental illness, and it’s our job to be grateful for our mental state and show kindfulness and support the people who do struggle.
One thing to always remember is that people face battles everyday. It’s our duty to practice kindfulness. Kindfulness doesn’t have to be a luxury that only rich people can afford.