aubade | self care

romanticization of mental illness

**BEFORE READING PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS TRIGGER WARNING, IF MENTIONS OF SELF HARM DO NOT SIT WELL WITH YOU, I WOULD ADVISE THAT YOU DO NOT READ THIS. I WANT YOU TO BE SAFE ♡**

the romanicization of mental illness is a big problem that needs to be addressed and i think it would be best to say it in this book instead of in my spam book.

watch the video i added in here, her name is savannah brown, she does slam poetry and mini vlogs. she explains the romanticization of mental illness way better than i could.

as savannah says, tumblr is the main culprit of this;

(i blurred it because it could trigger something for someone)

^^^ that actually really pisses me off

i will never understand the people who cut themselves because they think it's a pretty thing. it is not poetic. it is not "tragically beautiful." it is the impulsive mutilation of your body and it is not pretty. as a person who has struggled with self harm, i know it's not something you want to show off or get attention from people because of it. it's actually quite offensive to the people who legitimately struggle with suicidal thoughts.

eating disorders are not just something you decide you have one day, it is the destruction of your body from the inside out and it is a mental illness. it is not something that you should want to have.

there is a difference between feeling depressed and having depression. feeling depressed is something that can easily be overcome within a day or two. when you have depression, you deal with it for years, maybe you're whole life. and you have to take medication for it, and if you don't get that medication, you'll just lay in bed doing nothing because you have no desire to do the things you love.

when people romanticize or pretend to have mental illness, the people who actually struggle with those illnesses get offended because you can just stop pretending whenever you want and you'll be fine... but with people who actually have it, they can't just "stop having a mental illness" whenever they feel like it.

if i could just stop having depression and insomnia or stop having anxiety and mdd, trust me, i would have done it a long time ago.

so again,,

self harm is not beautiful, flowers will not grow out of your scars

suicide is not poetic, it is horrible, permanent, and it tears families apart

anorexia or bulimia is not desirable

social anxiety is not cute and should not be trendy

you do not have depression if you just feel sad

schizophrenia is terrifying, not mysterious

you do not have ocd if you're a neat freak

you're not an insomniac if you tend to just stay up late

CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY IF YOU DON'T HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS... IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU SHOULD STRIVE FOR.