How does a person grow?
I don’t mean physically.
But mentally.
Can you tell through attitude?
Appearance?
Hobbies?
Nothing like mental progress actually starts with visual differences.
If I lose weight, would you think my anxiety is cured?
If I wore makeup for two days in a row, would you automatically assume that I’m recovered?
When you look at someone, you don’t see what’s going on in their heads.
You can notice signs, even symptoms and early warning signs. But diagnosing someone is not based on one day.
When you are judging someone or having a strong opinion by their actions, facial expressions and body language, think again.
Bad days don’t always show as low mood or panic attacks.
They are an invisible illness most of the time.
They are difficult to navigate when they get even the smallest piece of control.
‘Don’t let them,’ you’re told.
Just brush it off and move on they say.
You can’t recover from mental health in a day.
The same as it isn’t created in a day.
A multitude of experiences and emotions are felt before they become a problem.
YOU ARE NOT A PROBLEM
You’re brain is not wrong in any way.
You are just being challenged more than others.
But you are not alone.
Understand those words…
You may feel alone but you’re not.
Feel alive today.
You’re heart is beating.
Feel that thump in ur chest.
Nothing has the power to stop that until it’s ready.
Nothing that’s not meant to happen will ever happen for no reason.

So…
My first question?
How do I answer it?
You grow by understanding mental health doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.
Everyone has their ups and downs through the course of each day.
Low mood doesn’t always mean you’re depressed.
Feeling nervous doesn’t always cause panic attacks.
But separating these things from emotions that people feel every day from how they feel if they struggle with mental health conditions, in my opinion, is mental growth.
Nothing physical.
But regulating disordered thoughts, from realistically, thoughts that a lot of people have most days for genuine reasons is what I’d call strength.

–