Luz’s Mind: Mental Illness & Feeling Behind in Life
Today I want to talk about how mental illness can cause you to feel behind in life and why that’s okay.
There are a variety of diagnoses that can affect every aspect of life and therefore, the pace you move at.
We are conditioned to believe that if we are not constantly moving and progressing, we are somehow “lazy” or a failure. Sometimes I get scared that people are judging the pace I’m moving at because it might not match societal expectations (which is a whole other thing itself).
I actually masked for a long time until it burnt me out around three years ago.
I overcompensated with my productivity output as a way to “make up” for the shame I felt around my diagnosis. I won’t act like I’m not still struggling a ton with this, but I want to say that it’s okay to move at your own pace.
It’s okay if not everyone understands the way you live your life.
Your life is your own, and taking care of your mental health is one of the most important things in life. It takes time to stabilize, have the correct meds, and make the necessary lifestyle changes.
Trust me, I know how frustrating it is to have big dreams and goals and feel like I’m being sabotaged by my mental health. It’s so hard sometimes not to feel sorry for myself for being in these circumstances.
It’s okay to be sad; it’s okay to be angry; having a mental illness is hard. Sometimes life can feel really unfair, especially when comparing yourself to people who are neurotypical or don’t struggle chronically with a mental health condition.
The thing I try to tell myself is that I’m always doing the best I can and that’s enough. I don’t need to compare myself to everyone else. I’m not everyone else; I’m me.
You’re strong, you’re resilient, so be kinder to yourself; you are moving in your own perfect timing.
