In the last few months I have found it increasingly hard to "get on" with my days, to "move passed" all the hardships I and others are facing; we are essentially taught to ignore, or at the least suppress how terrible we feel, every day. Maybe I am projecting here, but I know for myself that I go through life incredibly depressed, anxious for the future, and insecure even in the here and now. But, yet, I have a counselor, I seek out medical treatment, I am pursuing forms of coping and stress relief, so why am I not feeling better?
We all have been pushed to a weird form of "mental health awareness" where we are essentially supposed to feel and understand our emotions, but not really do anything about the true root causes. We are given medication, or taught that these things come from an "imbalance in brain chemistry" - both of which hold water and are valid at times - but when we ignore the fact that mass poverty, mass incarceration, extreme homelessness, lack of healthcare, expensive or unattainable education, low-quality, low-paid jobs...one cannot simply say that my mental health is a fault of my own brain, but rather, a toxic environment in which my brain developed.
Being conscious that one has depression, anxiety, BPD, PTSD, does not in any way solve one's issues, especially in a society so prone to root out, ignore, or patronize those with mental health struggles, inlcuding those with ADHD, Autism, along with more physical forms of difficulty or disability. Think about those in wheelchairs who cannot get easy access into a sizeable portion of society; just because they KNOW they are in a wheelchair doesn't get them in the building, nor out of the wheelchair. When we speak of mental illness, we must understand that it is not only psychological and chemical, but also socially worsened by a society unwilling to recognize what is causing so many to struggle in these ways, a society that won't even build handicapped accessible buildings!
This is not to merge nor ignore the contradictions and differences between those who are physically handicapped and those who struggle with mental illness, but to paint a line connecting the two to show deeper the inequities in daily life.
When it comes to both physical and mental health, we are not given what we need to live happy, healthy, stable lives. We are not able to live in a society that values life over profits, instead, we have to work meangingless jobs to scrape by, often affecting our relationships with our loved ones and ourselves, which causes worsening mental health problems, sometimes leading to neglect or self-harm. When this is the case for those who are physically handicapped, it is even worse. Those who deal with these struggles every day are often cast aside by society, generally, but even by family, friends, so-called "comrades" and organizations.
I know for myself, when I have expressed the sincere and saddening feelings I've been enduring, most people don't know what to say. They apologize, which I do too when someone says these things to me, I don't know why we do this, it is not usually our fault. After that, they might offer some advice, or encouragement, often a good-hearted and kind gesture but rarely able to overcome the feeling of the moment. I know for myself, I struggle with getting through that period of sadness, anxiety, anger, back to homeostasis, and when someone gives me some shit like "it is what it is", or "there's nothing we can do" I just want to hit them. Because what is plain to see is that the majority of people are dealing with these struggles - mental and physical - every day, to no avail. These meds, these counselors, these lifestyle plans, idea boards, journals, do not end nor even point to the true issue at hand: Exploitation.
You see, we don't have control over ourselves. We HAVE to work! We HAVE to pay our bills! We HAVE to deal with this shit, in the here and now, and stop pretending we can overcome it with the same words, tactics, ideas, strategies, or medications that failed the generations before us, that made them complacent, that made them hate themselves, blame themselves, instead of those really to blame: the Ruling Class.
Until we recognize that Imperialism, the global system of exploitation we live in, that denies us humanity, dignity, and self-determination, is the real reason we are all feeling this way then nothing can or will fundamentally change.
We must make it change, now.