As I write this entry, it is the last day of the year. I thought I would use this entry to reflect on 2018, both in a personal sense and as it relates to the topic of depression and mental health.
Personally, I feel like I have worked hard to advocate for mental health and encourage more education and support for those affected by mental illness (which is pretty much everyone in some way). In my local area we have passed legislation that will bring improvements to mental health, and I think we are seeing more and more conversations around how we can better care for everyone’s mental health, regardless if an illness is present. There is also a growing interest in mental health education, whether for health care workers, family, friends, schools, and children, among many others. We continue to see momentum, and I think in my corner of the world we can be proud of our accomplishments.
On a larger scale, I think there is a lot of momentum around mental health as well. Topics like depression and suicide and others have become part of a larger conversation and are covered in the media on a far reaching scale. Of course I have a bias, but I feel like you would have to be hidden in a cave to have not heard about mental health at some point in 2018. This is so important, because the more we talk about it, the more people will understand mental illness and health. Ultimately, I think this reduces the fear that people have about it, and that can lead to more compassion and support. 2018 has brought me some hope, and I want it to continue into the next year.
How about you? How has 2018 been for you? Did you experience any hope around mental health? What did you learn?