Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection    The stigma on mental health resonates throughout our society. It usually leads to avoidant  behaviors from people with these illnesses and thus leads to feeling more isolated than others.  However, I believe that storytelling is a very helpful tool to aid in eradicating the stigma. I’ve  dealt with anxiety and depression all my life. Throughout my treatment, I met many others that  were dealing with mental illnesses as well, from depression to an eating disorder to bipolar  disorder, etc. Once a day, we would gather together and we would go around the room discussing  what happened the day before and the thoughts and feelings he/she was having at the time. For  some people, it was difficult to open up, they felt embarrassed and that no one would understand  them. But over time, people would start to talk more and feel comfortable confiding in others, and  we were able to gain knowledge and realize that none of us were alone in this fight. We would  bounce ideas off each other to come up with some possible strategies to help treatment. All in all,  being able to talk about what you’re going through and having others willing to listen and provide  advice is essential when overcoming mental illnesses and can help those feel less isolated and  more supported.    Application    While the stigma on mental health usually pertains to those that are ill, it has an effect on those  who aren’t as well. I was trying to explain to my friends that isolation is a symptom of anxiety  and depression. I said to them that helping out those with mental health disorders requires  patience and a willingness to listen so that he/she can open up about his/her struggles. I told them  a story about one of my friends (let’s call her Susan) who was going through anxiety and  depression herself. She had been sick for months and I had barely seen her before we decided to  meet at a Starbucks to talk. She said that before she had mental health issues, she was incredibly  social. She was very kind to others, never excluded people, and was always seen as the one who  would organize gatherings/events. Susan was right, she truly was a delight to be around. She  continued and said that she started to have horrible thoughts everyday. All of her worries  stemmed around a fear of dying too quickly and that at any moment it would happen. The  thoughts paralyzed her, she was too afraid to go outside her apartment, let alone get out of bed.  Her friends asked to hang out multiple times, but every time it would be the same answer. “I  can’t. I’m not feeling well, I’m sorry.” Her friends were hurt and felt neglected, so eventually  they stopped texting her. She said she never felt so lonely than at that moment and she didn’t  know what to do.    Insight and Approach    This was exactly what I was dealing with! I quickly realized that other people were dealing with  very similar struggles to what I dealt with and still do today. I was not alone in this, and I felt  obligated to help out Susan. So I opened up about my mental health. I told her that there was a  time where I felt extremely lonely too. I began to believe that people didn’t like me and my  friends were just putting up a façade to make me feel better. I knew I needed help, but at the same  time, believed that I was a burden and didn’t deserve it. With a lot of treatment, I began to feel  better over time, and the healthier I became; the more I came to realize how irrational it was to  think I was alone. There was so much support for me and there was a light at the end of the  tunnel. Susan needed to hear that. I told her to be patient and to keep fighting. There was a ton of  support for her and there would be a day where she would feel much better and be as social as she

was before. She left Starbucks feeling extremely hopeful and since then continues to get better  each and every day.     When I told this story to my friends, they seemed to have a much better understanding of the  mental health stigma. I’m hopeful that if they know anyone that is struggling that they will  support him/her, be patient and allow him/her to talk through their issues.    At first, I thought storytelling was just my way of feeling better when I was feeling down, but  now I know that it can be an extremely useful tool to help end the stigma. If I ever run into  someone who’s struggling with a mental illness or even someone who wants to get a better  understanding of the stigma and how we can eliminate it, I know I have the storytelling tool at my  disposal and can use it at any time.

