Wee extra post, was about to share what I’ve been trying but will leave that for the next post. However, saw a tweet that made me quite sad and angry as well about the way the person had been left feeling all because of others judging them. So I had to write. As you are aware I’ve been getting treatment & help for my anxiety for a year now while continuing to work through it and be supported by my managers. Then covid hit and I felt back to square 1.  I lost a lot of support in the sense of not being around people at work and also my routine being disrupted. That’s not to say I didn’t get any support it was still there but its not the same when its not in person. Now what we are about 4 months in and things are slowly returning back to some sort of “normality” and so a lot of talk about folk going back to work if they haven’t already. Things are opening up slowly but surely and we are able to do more than visit the local supermarket now. Coffee shops and hairdressers have opened and now facebook/Instagram is full of drinks and hairdo’s. So whats the problem well when you see another educator being trolled for being anxious about going back to work but is able to go to the hairdressers you take notice and stop and think. What on earth has gone wrong? Only at the beginning of the year social media was awash with the #bekind campaign after the sudden death of a celebrity. Now we have someone be told they are not fit to teach all because of they are scared of whats happening when they go back to work but yet they are OK enough to go and get their hair done. Do people even understand how mental health issues work?   

Anxiety  and depression causes good and bad days. Any activity can go from chill to heart burstingly terrifying the more you think about it and the more you focus on it. I went through a frustrating few days the week before last with everyone talking about heading back to work and how theres only so many weeks of summer left etc. It got me thinking (well overthinking!) so I had to rein it in and get back to my day at a time mindset. Its not something you can turn on and off its something you live with and have to learn to manage. It doesn’t mean you should not work or hide yourself away. In fact that’s probably one of the worst things you could do. I found that being at work helped me and I was supported. But that initial going back after summer yeah it was hard and it will be the same when I go back this year in fact I have ensured I have sought enough help to make my return as smooth as possible as I know my anxiety will be right up there. So for this educator to be criticised for being scared for going back to work and told by folk to go on the sick no that’s not right. Why are you being so mean to them, they need your support and understanding not being told of you can’t teach what happened to #bekind eh? Quickly forgotten. Yes this person went to get their hair done and so? Small things are the first step at most it’s a few hours in a small place with a few folk nothing at all like a classroom so I can’t begin to see how they can even equate that they are the same thing. Its also good for your mental health – self care is so important and you do forget to take time out just to look after yourself especially with anxiety & depression.  I went to get my hair done a few days ago and barely slept the night before as I worked myself up a bit as its somewhere I’ve not been for ages and with the new rules of wearing a mask etc. However like all things with anxiety it’s the build up to the event that causes it, normally things calm once you actually get there. Same when I got to work as well it was always the build up rather than actual work and I assume that’s the issue for the poor person who got stick for feeling anxious about their return to work.  

If anyone wondered why there is such a stigma with mental health issues this is it when people do talk they are immediately brought down and not taken seriously. This leads to people not wanting to talk about their issues in the first place. We need to be more understanding especially now more than ever many folk have been at home for a long time and even if they didn’t have anxiety before lockdown their will be a certain apprehension about returning to normal. We all need to be more thoughtful about how people are feeling and realise everyone has dealt with lockdown differently We should not be judging them, rather listening and supporting them. Mental Health Awareness isn’t just for a week or a twitter hashtag neither is Be Kind. These things mean something and mean you should be looking out for people not stigmatizing their mental health issues. It can happen to anyone.