Hi There,
I had a client this week, let’s call her Stella, who believed that she had a mental illness
Why? Her last therapist told her so; because:
1. She doesn’t know how to start a conversation
2. She doesn’t know what topics to talk about because she does not like shallow talks
3. She feels less confident with others in social settings
Do you think she is mentally ill?
As we talked, I unpacked further, it turns out that her fear is the fear of not meeting others’ expectations about her and the fear of being labelled as a loner.
Is she afraid to be a loner? NO
So, when did introversion become a mental illness?
Why did a psychiatrist write a prescription stating she is mentally ill just because she developed a fear of expectations?
The skills that Stella believes she is lacking, we all learned at some point of time in our lives.
Is it not normal to feel nervous about new things, new people and new experiences in the past?
We never called it mental illness or even anxiety.
We can associate with the feeling without it becoming our identity.
Wouldn’t it be better to teach a child it’s okay to feel nervous about an event rather than labelling them as anxious or it’s okay to feel sad rather than labelling them as depressed?
Once a label is taken on, it becomes part of their identity and that stops the opportunity for growth.
Let us help develop the skill to accept you are okay as you are and then master the skill and resilience to overcome it.
Is something wrong with me if I can’t run like Usain Bolt or I can’t master chopsticks like everyone else on this planet?
As always, I’d love to know your thoughts
Love & Healing
Manna