One of the reasons that the brand Loony Shirts exists is to raise awareness about mental health and if you look up the definition of the word awareness, you will learn that:
“Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of situations or facts.”
Mental health awareness month has been observed in May in the United States since 1949, which is the equivalent to 4.25% of the total world population, so it is safe to say that the rest of the world is lagging far behind.
We don’t think wearing a t-shirt with a message related to an experience as intimate as the struggles that are going on inside us is going to make a big difference, but it is our two cents towards creating a change that is long overdue.
Of course, not everyone is comfortable talking about the subject. Mental health issues cover such a broad range of complex conditions that it would be unfair to say that everyone wants to be vocal about their problems, in some cases attention can even have the opposite effect and can cause a great deal of anxiety or shame. Choosing to wear a t-shirt that tells a story, however, is a choice. It sends a clear message that the person is comfortable with their situation in this particular moment in time, which requires a special kind of bravery and sets a clear boundary. It says it’s OK for others to speak up, instead of pretending or avoiding the subject, because it is precisely the sense of judgement and isolation that often makes mental heal issues spread like a rash, instead of vane.
A very famous ancient philosopher called Jesus once said: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The judgements towards those who have been diagnosed or are suffering from a mental health illness often come from a place of superiority along with a patronising or rejecting attitude, but the truth is that a great majority of people we meet everyday is struggling to a larger or smaller degree with some aspect of mental unwellness. Few are really doing well, keeping that perfect balance between feeling and thinking not too little and not too much. Few walk the thin line of absolute calm and sanity in a mad, heartless world. The fact is, we are all faulty, some just learn how to hide it better.
It’s a fact because it can be proven. For instance, people in general don’t have a positive reaction when they find out someone has been diagnosed with a mental ilness. Those closest to them might be supportive, but in general, there is still a lot of stigma which is massively contributing to the problem. People compartmentalize, often subconsciously, people in two boxes, the diagnosed and the non-diagnosed, which is a great example of black and white thinking that charachterizes many psychiatric conditions and personality disorders.
It’s kind of ironic too, if you consider that a person with a managed borderline personality disorder can have a far greater capacity of compassion then your very straight and “normal” neighbour or that the creativity of someone with schizotypal personality disorder can equal the talents of the entire marketing team, not to mention the great artists and scientists, who broke the mold in their field in spite of their mental health battles. There are many more examples why discarding people with inner struggles in the box of broken toys is wrong, but it is a mistake that often arises from lack of knowledge and experience. It’s a perspective that needs to be broadened and we are trying to do our part.
We want people to see and treat those, who already carry the heavy burden of mental distress, as equals and as individuals, not a diagnosis. The fact that mental health topics are currently highly trendy helps to a degree, but it also causes damage. When something becomes trendy, it becomes trivialised. Words such as coping mechanisms, patterns, mindfulness, trauma, gaslighting and others have become part of the mainstream vocabulary, but it takes a lot more then mastering the jargon.
It takes the courage to ask and to keep listening even when you don’t have the answers. To not be afraid of what can be found on the other side of the comfortable. To learn and get informed. To keep the faith. It’s true that sometimes supporting someone on their path to recovery can be very taxing and expensive in terms of emotional stress. Perhaps sometimes, it is too much for those who can’t even imagine the extremes some people go through and maybe not everyone is meant to have the capacity to lend a helping hand. However, for those who have once walked this path, it is not only a mission, but an inner call that we can’t ignore.
Higher awareness of mental health brings so many gifts that it is hard to list them all. It raises the level of understanding and therefore, compassion. Compassion leads to positive action. Positive action leads to change. Change leads to progress and that is what humanity is mostly about.
