A Canvas of the Minds
This is a global project for raising awareness of mental health issues.
Inner critic: Thanks, Mr. Obvious. I think we all figured that out just from the name. No need to assume everybody is stupid just because you are.
Not now, please, inner critic, we’re doing an Official Thing today. In a minute I have to write the actual Blog for Mental Health pledge so I can officially join.
Inner critic: Try not to screw it up, idiot.
Okay, and –
Inner critic: Especially don’t try to ‘hilariously’ screw it up on purpose so you can write a “funny” story about it later!
How very cynical. Thanks, inner critic.
Anyway, as you may know if you’ve visited this site before, I’ve always been anxious, with occasional dips into more extreme and crippling anxiety.
While this is obviously preferable to constantly living in extreme anxiety, for many years I still spent time fearing those extreme moments even when I felt otherwise okay.
I could never truly relax, even when I felt better.
This is the really pernicious aspect of anxiety I’d love to help others with: the way it intrudes on everything else, so you become anxious even when you’re not feeling that anxious!
I feel good! That makes me… suspicious…
… and now I feel anxious again. Great.
I plan to keep blogging here, so this site can be a helpful resource for the anxious (and a hopefully entertaining read for all), so joining a campaign like Blog for Mental Health feels like an obvious move.
So, without further ado, I shall now make the Official Blog for Mental Health pledge, in accordance with Ancient Prophecy:
(or the requirements of the project, anyway)
I pledge my commitment to the Blog for Mental Health 2015 Project. I will blog about mental health topics not only for myself, but for others. By displaying this badge, I show my pride, dedication, and acceptance for mental health. I use this to promote mental health education in the struggle to erase stigma.
And there we go.
Stick around as we continue to unpick anxiety, and eventually – hopefully – discover together what it means to be not only ‘not-anxious’, but happy too.