Invariably: "Instinctively Joyful" (Chapter. 2)
Written by Andi Bazaar, Hugo-licharré Freimann, Scott Wynné Schofield, Yevhn Gertz, Henrie Louis Friedrich, José Schenkkan Joseph | March 17, 2024
Because of a lack of proper public mental health funding, people use more resources for physical healthcare given the physical symptoms that happen. We need an integration of both types publicly funded, our own bodies don’t separate mental and physical health but our systems do.
In celebration of "Mental Health Week" I want to honor the many amazing warriors who have made a lasting impact on the world of literature.
To all amazing writers in this project who have inspired and influenced generations of readers with their words, who have tackled difficult topics and addressed mental issues while also providing hope and comfort through their stories we raise a freedom.
Writing is a mental job, but it is also a spiritual one. Books are published for audiences, but the process of the writing can be done to honor a family member, friend, mentor, community, culture and more.
I wanted to share this "Chapter. 2" in honor of a great writer also to say mental illness is an illness of the brain.
LET’S TALK ABOUT PROCRASTINATION
How it relates to mental health, it is by far in the top of what bothers people the most when it relates to their mental health. It impacts everything we do including our daily habits such as hygiene and food, so let’s dive deeper.
Procrastination is not a disorder or something that can be “fixed” on its own because it is a consequence of other mental health issues, pretty much every single mental health concern can show itself through procrastination because it is a matter of energy output.
When we are doing well physically and psychologically, we often don’t realize how much energy it take to get through all the tasks in our day. We take them for granted because they seem so easy, picking up a toothbrush, taking a shower or even stepping outside seem easy.
However, when we burnout suffer from depression, anxiety, trauma, etc. most of our energy is diverted to our thoughts/moods/solving what is happening leaving very little for our daily tasks. This means that we now have to deal with the same routine with much less energy.
Given that it is impossible to do the same things with less resources, our brain tends to prioritize certain things that seem inescapable or essential to survival, leaving out the rest as “non-essential” and can be dealt with later.
But, what our mind considers essential may not be the same as what we consider essential. Working a lot, showers, exercise, going to appointments are things we consider essential but may not have the energy for them left.
That phone call to the dentist or replying to a friend seem like impossible tasks because when we are done with what we had to do, there is nothing left in us to give even if we force it a little, then we have even less energy for the next day.
Given this constant trap of procrastination, we do what we think is best and that is to hunker down and work harder. After all, I am just being “lazy” and need to focus on my priorities. Right? Nope, that is exactly the opposite of what we need to do.
Yes, society and family may call us lazy, incompetent, but this is simply not true. Laziness does not exist, no one who is doing perfectly well just chooses to do nothing. So we feel shamed into action, we may go into overdrive for a few days, a few weeks but then we crash.
That is because our inherent ambition or wanting to do something was never the issue, we borrowed even more energy when the bank was very depleted. We didn’t turn our attention to where it was needed? That is our mental health, the cause of what triggered this lack of energy.
Basically, if we don’t solve the cause we can’t solve the consequence. Procrastination is the consequence, the cause is the culprit that is keeping us low/doesn’t allow us to function at our full capacity. Again, it could be any form of mental health or physical health issue.
We need to do an assessment (physical and psychological) to see what is happening and how we can fix it. Most of the time, it would fall under depression/anxiety/burnout category. We need to take care of it, whether it is through meds/therapy/both.
Unfortunately, there is no shortcut. It takes a while to get into the procrastination phase and it will take treatment to get out of it, we have also lived a global traumatic event with the pandemic and the mental health issues from this are still in display now.
The first step is to understand that procrastination is not us being less smart, less capable, worse than our peers, etc. It is not something that we did badly or deserve, when we get frustrated with ourselves or even angry we entrench ourselves deeper in the cycle.
We need to put more of whatever is left from our energy into our wellbeing and empathy towards ourselves. Yes, that mean being there less for others or that our work may not be optimal. It may mean putting things we find important on hold but it is temporary.
It is not a sign of weakness or that something is inherently wrong with us, this is the time to accept help and allow others to be there for us. We may need help calling that doctor/therapist or picking up the prescription and that’s okay.
This may go against every instinct and upbringing we have but it is necessary, we are constantly told, don’t be lazy, guilted into action with no regard for our wellbeing and made to be there for others even when we have nothing left to spare but we have to put a stop to it.
Whether those around us understand or not doesn’t change the nature of what we are going through even if we have just one ally or someone helping us through this can make a world of a difference,don’t hesitate to ask for help (especially if it is someone you trust)
Procrastination is an alarm system that something is wrong, we need to press that pause button and focus on our recovery. In our life of constant action, stressors, and attention, exhaustion is normal and we need that healing in order to take care of ourselves.
I hope that this part helped clarify this topic a little bit and hope that you can get something out of this that you can implement in your life, you are worthy and amazing regardless of your productivity.
BREAKDOWN
Going through memory loss when our mental health isn’t doing well can compound the issue and make us feel more disconnected from our identity, It can feel as though we are just in “zombie” mode but those memories aren’t gone. As we get better, you will retrieve them more easily!
Our brain repurposes where it puts its energy and when our emotional health is suffering, the energy is put towards finding a solution which is why we we may go through periods of overthinking followed by the crash of numbness and the other functions feel diminished.
It is infuriating when people say, “think positive thoughts” when mental health isn’t doing well. It is dismissive/stigmatizing to reduce real illnesses that impact all aspects of quality of life to this, it is not a lack of positive thinking that leads to mental health issues.
There is a special place in hell for medical/mental health professionals who step out of line and recommend marriage/religion as a solution, you break a fundamental trust in patients that can make them stay in pain longer and hesitate to get help again.
Pretty much everyone will go through mental health issues at some point in their life, developing and fostering empathy in our social circle when things are well goes a long way towards having strong support when our mental health suffers.
Something a lot of people have been noticing when it comes to their mental health is time slowing down yet going fast at the same time since the pandemic, it almost feels like we are stuck in 2020 and have few memories after that. This a sign of a collective trauma!
Many people who have gone through individual trauma know that feeling of being stuck in the pre and post trauma. However, this time it is collective and therefore something most people can agree on. It is important to realize that this trauma is valid and we can get help for it!
It is important to realize that change in mental health can take a while, we are undoing decades of conditioning. We have to be patient with ourselves and repeat the healthy behaviours until they slowly become more entrenched, healthy changes cannot happen fast.
We often see on TikTok or Instagram those fast hacks or one change that can unlock your recovery but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way, there isn’t one single variable or one thing we can do to recover from all the trauma/depression or anxiety we have accumulated.
Despite knowing it logically, many people still feel “weak” for experiencing mental health issues, it is not a weakness the same way that we are not weak for having the flu. We are going through a low because of many factors but in no way is it an indication of our character.
There are many ways to recover from mental health struggles. For some, it may mean meds long term. For others, it may mean going to therapy every month to externalize and solve issues, etc. As long as quality of life improves, it is a win. There are solutions for everyone.
Because of a lack of proper public mental health funding, people use more resources for physical healthcare given the physical symptoms that happen. We need an integration of both types publicly funded, our own bodies don’t separate mental and physical health but our systems do.
REMINDER
"our mental health suffering doesn’t make us act abusive towards people while some may say that they are that way because of their depression/anxiety, the reality is that it is something completely separate. blaming it on mental health is a way to avoid accountability."
We often describe ourselves as being “indecisive” as though it is a personality flaw when most of the time it is due to low self-esteem from depression or from anxiety and that fear that we would be making a wrong choice, our mental health struggles are not a character flaw!
I want to talk about medication stigma and why it is so big in our culture, given that most of our families have a pharmacy in their homes for every ailment imaginable why are meds for mental health so rejected? Let’s take a look.
First of all, when we are prescribed medications for something it becomes more real even with therapy, our loved ones can simply convince themselves that we are going for self-improvement or an indulgence of the person attending therapy. The denial can continue.
It is much harder to continue that denial when meds are involved, it makes it more real and it also makes it more physical. Parents and loved ones cannot deny that as easily, therefore it is much easier to simply refuse it or try to stop people from trying it.
Then we have the argument that it is addictive, that’s because they may see online or in some people that they may take it for years but that’s not because it is addictive it is because it may be needed for that long. It is easier to simplify and say it is addictive.
The stigma is also an avoidance in terms of taking responsibility, if you recognize that your child needs meds in order to get better and you were a big source of that then it becomes harder to deny it. That guilt can be too much to deal with.
Then there is the fear of others: we are scared that the person taking meds may run into neighbours, extended family, members of the community when they go to the pharmacy or if the meds are just visible in the house because then others may judge us.
Fear of being judged can be very powerful especially in our culture, where what the group thinks of us can matter so much but denying a loved one an opportunity to get better simply to keep face is not a good reason. Medications literally save lives.
Then there is the responsibility that healthcare providers have, so many of them believe in that stigma and try to sway people who may needs meds away from them (especially if they haven’t received adequate mental health training in their medical degree)
We all have relatives who are doctors and some of them may be too ignorant about mental health to give it much importance, they may be less likely to give medications as options because to them it likely much less important.
There are so many other factors that can contribute to this stigma, but these ones are what I encountered the most when it comes to reasons why people were discouraged to explore medications to improve their mental health.
While it is true that meds may not be for everyone and that just like everything else, there are pros and a few cons — it can be lifesaving and help us get out of severe mental health issues, allowing us to function enough to get therapy and go back to work/school.
A big thank you to the wonderful José Schenkkan for asking me to address this topic, hope you all have a great weekend x
Dealing with depression has taught me two things:
"nobody really cares, everyone is dealing with their own shit and it really is up to you to dig yourself out of that hole no matter how exhausting it seems to even just pick up that shovel."
No matter how strong you are or for how long you’ve been dealing with it all by yourself, there comes a time where you’ll need someone to hold you and tell you everything’s going to be alright.
If the whole world hated you, "could you still love yourself?" — Dealing with criticism is a test to see how much you believe in yourself, learn to love yourself so you can love others when faced with difficulties. Practice compassion daily with others as well as yourself.
Dealing with insensitive, unsupportive or unaffirming families this week:
- you are awesome and wonderful.
- you are your own person and you don’t need to define yourself by how they see you.
- be strong, you have friends who can be way better than family.
Dealing with a toxic friendship is also one of the most exhausting things to go througt, it is so important to surround yourself with friends who uplift and support you and don’t bring you down.
Learn to improve your self-relationship before dealing with others because that is based on how you treat yourself:
- you cannot connect with others if you lack self-connection.
- you cannot give others what you refuse to yourself, as much as you cannot offer what you don’t have.
- your good heart and that beautiful conscience you have can conspire against you.
Seeing the world in all of it’s fucked up glory and still choosing to come as yourself is brave but it does well to know how to handle people and sometimes that means not dealing at all.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO:
- Andi Bazaar (Writer)
- Mark J. Levstein (Co-Editor)
- Yevhn Gertz (Director of Photography/Co-writer)
- dr Oliver Schofield MD (Consulting)
- dr Seth Gryffen, MD (Consulting)
- dr Khaan, MD (Consulting)
- Timothée Freimann schofield (Photographed)
- Clayton Euridicé Schofield (Editor/Journalist)
- Scott Wynné Schofield (Publicist/Co-writer)
- Henrie Louis Friedrich (Analyst/Co-writer)
- Jwan Höffler Conwall (Art Interior Design)
- Hugo-licharré Freimann (Ass Director/Co-writer)
- Shot at GQ’s Studios by José Schenkkan (Co-writer) and Benjamin Schenkkan Joseph
- In appearance by "Gregory O’Connor Jr" (Model)
- In collaboration with "The Me You Can’t See UK" (TMYCSUK) / @tmycsuk
