Good Mental Health Is A Human Right—Not A Privilege

Mental health, mindfulness, wellbeing, self care — it seems everyone from politicians to social media influencers are leading mental health movements. And while it’s about d*mn time we talk about these issues, it’s also time things. got. realer.

In our attempts to normalise mental health, we seem to have shut out the people whose mental illnesses are too severe to be trendy.

We also seem to have forgotten how expensive mental health care can be. Though mental health and wellbeing events have become all the rage, they don’t come cheap.

There’s therapy, which, even for those with good insurance, can cost more than their monthly food budget. Then there’s more affordable text therapy apps…with stories of therapists sending clients inspirational quotes and emojis.

Mental health is more than Instagram moments

Good mental health is a human right being denied to many people living in the world today. When our living environment breaks us down, self care becomes an act of self-preservation. It is an action we take, not a purchase we make. We become our own personal Avengers when we release ourselves from behaviours and social norms that no longer serve us.

Self care is meaningless if not grounded in the desire to improve our individual and collective circumstance.

Self care is meaningless if not grounded in the desire to improve our individual and collective circumstance. Every time we make a conscious effort to release ourselves from the self-limiting beliefs, trauma and pain that haunts our pasts we empower ourselves and the communities surrounding us.

Good mental health is both political and personal

On the path to healing, tough life situations and forms of oppression must be acknowledged for what they are, and on a grander scale action must be taken to prevent future generations from facing similar hardships. Those ‘treat yourself’ moments that fill our Instagram feeds shockingly are not a requirement of good mental health.

To address the global mental health crisis, we must call upon our leaders to take action against the toxic norms triggering our social breakdown, and call upon ourselves to bring kindness back into our lives starting with relationship with our self and our local community.