Mental Health Mondays

Mental Health- what is it? It's not easy to know, but it's certainly easy to tell when it goes wrong.

My name is Michaela, but you can call me Micky. I am 20 years of age and have lived on the same street in the same house with the same parents and cat for most of my life. What I find absurd about the term "mental health" is that it is usually only discussed in the context of not being healthy. Maybe Alanis Morissette should've added that to the lyrics of "Ironic." But what does mental health even mean? I'm not about to delve into the nearest dictionary. What it seems to relate to, in an objective sense, is the health of our mentality, the health of the way we think. But that definition doesn't satisfy me. The health of mind and body are deeply intertwined, and I've spent many years learning how to identify the warning signs when my mind-body equation is suffering. If I'm unsettled, my head starts aching lightly, behind the eyes. My throat starts hurting when I'm sad. I don't breathe or digest properly when I'm anxious.

In my experience, when either my mind or body starts to fail, the other isn't too far behind it.

Through the writing of this blog I hope to explore women's relationships with their own mental health, each others' mental health, how different societies have understood women's mental health, and how this has shifted throughout time. I will also be discussing mental "illnesses" and coping strategies through stories that combine fact with fiction (I'll be sure to let you know which is which!), and sharing my personal experiences. I hope you enjoy what I have to say!

Feel free to comment if you have requests for information or discussion of a certain topic!

With love and respect,
Michaela