saltandpepperSenior Contributor
Managing vs Fixing
The other day, I received some well intended--though utterly useless--advice on how to deal with anxiety. It's been rolling around in my head since then, just how differently people respond to the subject of mental illness. More accurately, people who haven't had to deal with it themselves. This is only in my experience--but I'm wondering if others have had similar experiences too--that some people (people who I suspect have never dealt with severe mental illness) seem to think it's something that needs "fixing". I disagree. I don't need to be "fixed", and I think this kind of perspective is just... Not helpful at all. It's been a stark reminder that the majority of people still seem to be "afraid" of mental illness and see it as something that's bad/broken. I'm sure if I wound the clock back I'd remember looking at it that way too. But now, I don't see my anxiety issues as something that needs fixing. It needs managing. And without intending to sounding like an unappreciative ass, the recommendation for "holistic" anxiety chews or whatever they were, is just moronic. It's a sad state, to me, that someone can be (yeah well meaning) but so uneducated about mental health that they sincerely believe anxiety chews are going to be of any help. And it's a little frustrating that some people see it as something faulty that needs correcting. My anxiety, and my boat load of other fantastic issues, are not wrong or bad. They are parts of me that were created when they were needed. They served a purpose. Yes, as an adult, they need managing in order to function, but they are not broken parts of me. They are parts of me that allowed me to survive. Anxiety and fear are not bad emotions or responses, they are necessary to survival. Yes, mine tend to go into overdrive, and yes, that isn't helpful as an adult. But it's not wrong, I don't need fixing, I just need to learn to manage it.
