These days it feels like everyone is involved in some aspect of mental health and understanding themselves better.
The whole "woke" thing notwithstanding, it seems like such a radical swing from my own childhood, where emotions were pretty much ignored, or at least something you kept to yourself and never shared in public.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that years of self-inquiry and striving to understand what my underlying motivations are has been helpful. But I have also learned that it's something best not taken to extremes. At best, what you end up with is a sort of road map that makes life a little easier, no more.
Far be it for me to deny someone a process that allegedly helps them cope with life, but I think being unable to tie your shoelaces without your "emotional support pencil" present steps over a line from the merely therapeutic to the self-indulgent.
And just how much do you need to discover about yourself before you're ready to do something with your life?
How Much is "Too Much?"
I'm vaguely reminded of some of the assertions I heard during my University days where people often pointed out that those staying in college to work on their 7th degree are not actually into educating themselves, but instead into avoiding life.
I think the pursuit of mental health and self-improvement walks a similar fine line where you can get so stuck in the process of trying to understand life that you completely forget to actually live it.
For example, I am afflicted with so-called ADHD, and I belong to several online communities where people share tips and helpful ideas on how to manage life. This is, of course, fine and good... but what's not so good are those who take over the "ailment" as their entire self-identity, and it's not long before they attribute everything that happens in their lives to "the condition."
Which would mostly just be a way to dis-empower yourself...
After all, this stuff is supposed to make life easier, not get in the way of your progress through it! I suppose it's just tempting to attribute every difficulty you encounter to some "condition" rather than take ownership of your own laziness and/or ineptitude.
And those support groups? Some people do get mired down in their eternal suffering rather than applying the psychological tools they've learned... and end up feeling like they are perpetual victims.
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Created at 2026.02.21 01:12 PST
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1 comments
It is difficult and a mind field in mental health as i hate to say it but alot of people are using it as a platform to be and feel special.
To be honest i get it, but it don't make it right.
Our mental health issues if people have them cannot be our personality nor can it be an excuse.
Personally i have a diagnosis that would make most people give up.
I have CPTSD, treatment resistant paronoid schizophrenia, with underlining Adhd, autism and symptomatic OCD.
I don't do groups for the very reason you state that i quoted above and i was diagnosed before it was a trend, i am in my 50's and was diagoned fully in my late 20's.
The truth is we all have character flaws and mental health issues of some kind as everyone goes through tough times and have suffered but like i said it can't be an excuse and it can't be our persona to become healthier.
I run a business i have raised 4 children, me and the wife have fostered children while being highly active in supporting our children with theirs.
Our whole family are neurodivergent in some way or another but it is not our whole personality neither do we allow it to rule or ruin our lives it just makes things different, sometimes very challenging and sometimes downright hilarious.
Regardless of mental health issues or character flaws the important thing is to constantly be working on ourselves to the best of our ability and to try and change the things that cause problems or at least learn to manage them.
That goes for anyone inflicted with mental health issues or not.
Are things perfect? absolutely not but what we don't do is use it to manipulate people's feelings, to get special treatment or for excuses for shitty behaviour.
Like your quote below you clearly see and understand it as well.
It is not healthy to be like this.
I wish you much success keep working on yourself, remember there are multiple sides to every coin, it is all about how we flip it and use it.
@denmarkguy Strengthen the mind and win the battle, find what works and helps you apply it and then look for the benefits.
I often see things others miss for an example.
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