One thing everyone is told to do from a young age is to embrace yourself and be proud of who you are/your journey. But why is it the opposite on social media when you have scars?
This post is more of a short rant rather than a blog post as I’ve had these things on my mind a lot lately.
TikTok
I’ve seen so many videos where someone is innocently filming a video and the comments always focus on scars they have. The person then gets told that they need to cover up or have a trigger warning because they’re a trigger. It’s disgusting. You can’t expect people to hide their bodies just because they might upset someone else. That’s not fair. That’s not healing. That’s control.
You don’t get a trigger warning in the real world. Would you walk up to a person with scars and tell them to cover their arms or thighs or face because it’s upsetting you? I feel guilty whenever I wear shorts or skirts because of what I’ve seen. I shouldn’t be made to feel that way and neither should anyone else.
I’m sick of coming across comments like, “I try to stay clean but this is my fyp :/”. I understand that it could genuinely be a trigger for some people but that doesn’t give them the right to put it on a random person online.
Along with this, it’s also common for people to be called attention seekers which leads me into my next point.
The 'attention seeker' label
The stigma of an attention seeker is generally a negative thing and a ‘red flag’. For example, if someone cuts themselves, they’ll often get called an attention seeker even by professionals. While this may not be true to some individuals, it might be for others but what’s the massive problem with that? People who are seeking attention through self harm deserve compassion, not judgment; should be offered support, not shame. If someone was perfectly okay, they wouldn’t do anything to themselves no matter the reason.
‘High functioning’ mental illness
A stereotype about depression and many other mental illnesses is that you don’t do anything but sit in bed and cry all day. If you go out with friends, have a job or seem fine in school, suddenly you’re being told that you can’t be depressed because you’re productive.
Being productive does not mean you’re okay.
It’s so hard to be taken seriously when several people think like this and it’s harmful because it could scare those in need away from getting help.
I used to not do anything. I’d stay inside all day and read or watch youtube. Now, I have chores everyday, I go on walks, go for runs, I write for my website. Am I miraculously better just because I participate in these things? No. In fact, I’m starting to slip again. My issues are still real.
Productivity does not equal recovery.
Have you ever felt like you had to ‘prove’ your mental illness to be taken seriously?
Because I have and I know I’m not alone.
Add comment
Comments