Being a person is hard. Really fucking hard. It’s okay to acknowledge that. It’s also okay to acknowledge that you have it hard, and that other people have it harder, and that even the people that have it easier still have their own trials.
Everybody has problems, and while the internet has made it much easier to talk to and learn about others with those same problems, it can still be hard to find people to relate to, especially if your problems are among those that can be hard to explain, or embarrassing to talk about.
I get this. I feel like my mental issues are annoying and unrelatable; that they would exasperate anybody who heard about them. They seem annoying and silly to me, and yet I am simultaneously plagued by them everyday. I also have a lot of physical/health issues. I’m not going to go into them in detail, because even though it’s hypocritical considering the post I’m writing, they embarrass me. It’s just a fact. They’re things that are not frequently talked about, and even though I wish they were more commonly talked about, especially through the anonymity of the internet, they’re not; it would be out of my comfort zone to break that.
Whatever your problems are, whether they are common or unusual, embarrassing or frustratingly glamorized by the media, big or small, seemingly impossible because they actually are, or because you’re in a pessimistic state of mind, just know this. You are not alone. Everybody struggles, and nobody tells everyone everything. As much as your brain might tell you you are, you’re very likely not the first person to do or have anything. This can be seen as disappointing, especially if you’re talking about good things, but I find it to be calming. It takes the pressure off. We always should try as hard as we can, and none of us will ever be alone in the process.
Thanks for reading - Debra Baker
