Who’re you callin’ nuts?
The other day when an acquaintance inquired about how I was doing, I replied matter-of-factly that I'd been a little mentally ill recently. Sounding shocked, she exclaimed, "Oh, don't say that!" If I'd told her that I'd been feeling physically ill, I'm sure she would have cooed something sympathetic. So, what's the problem with admitting to a little mental instability?
For one thing, our picture of mental illness is that it's an incapacitating disconnection from reality—the kind of thing that gets people institutionalized. But commonplace bouts of anxiety, hostility, tension, worry, melancholy, loneliness, and other black moods also qualify as mental illness. They do result from distortions of and disconnection from reality, and they can incapacitate us.
In curtailing our willingness to involve ourselves with life, such garden-variety mental illness can be as disabling as physical illness. These mental states can impair our enjoyment of the day as surely as a headache or intestinal distress does. And if the disordered mental state is allowed to become persistent and pervasive, it is possible for it to lead to an entirely socially acceptable physical illness.
When you notice signs of physical illness, you may decide to indulge yourself a bit and take it easy. Sometimes a relaxing break is all that's required to put yourself back on track. Mental illness, however, often responds better to a "busy and distracted" approach. Only you know what works for you when you're not feeling tiptop.
Booster rockets for a somewhat deranged mind: Take in a funny movie or three. Distract yourself with a boisterous social encounter. Sing raucously and dance wildly to energizing music. Call a friend for some comically extravagant kvetching. Or try Rob Brezsny's famous "Mock the Pain" therapy: www.salon.com/people/brez/2000/09/13/mockpain/
And if someone asks you how you're doing, don't be afraid to come right out and tell them, "I've been a little mentally ill lately, but I'm feeling much better today."
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