Mental Health Awareness Month Reflection

Last year at this time, I wasn’t fully aware that I was living with an invisible illness again. Actually two. The probability was there and doctors suspected it, but it hadn’t fully revealed itself.

My heart issues, surprisingly, were under control then. After everything I had already been through with procedures and treatments, that part of my health had settled into something stable.

Cancer had other plans.

So, when I compare where I am today to where I was a year ago, the honest answer is that my health is worse. Even though I’m currently going through hormonal injections for treatment, knowing the disease has returned changes the way I look at things.

Living with heart disease and cancer has taught me something many people don’t fully understand.

These illnesses are hidden inside you.

The Illness People Cannot See

They aren’t always detectable by simply looking at someone. People see me walking around and assume I’m doing well. Some even think I look fit.

What they don’t see is the reality underneath the surface. And the exhaustion within me.

Not just physical exhaustion, but mental exhaustion too. The kind that comes from constantly knowing what your body has already endured and what it might still has to face.

These are the battles happening inside me that no one else can see.

When Illness Reveals Who Stays

One realization during my illnesses have changed, that’s the way I look at life.

I learned that some of the people I care about the most. easily ran and hid when all I really needed was presence. While the medical side is something I’ve had to accept.

But the illnesses aren’t fought only in hospitals and treatment rooms.

There are mental battles too.

Knowing someone is rooting for you can make those battles easier to face. Sometimes what a person needs most isn’t advice or solutions. It’s simply knowing someone cares enough to stand beside them while they go through it.

Purpose and Hope

On the hardest days, what keeps me moving forward is purpose and hope. Hope in what I write about helps others who may be facing similar situations. Illness has a way of making people feel isolated. During my experiences, helping someone confront their own fears or demons head on, is worth sharing my story.

I also hope some people might reconsider old friendships they’ve allowed to drift away. Sometimes reaching out, rekindling a connection, or letting someone know they’re not alone can mean far more to a person battling an illness than most people realize.

Purpose and hope are powerful things.

A Song That Captures This Feeling

Music expresses things words struggle to explain. One song that captures my fragility and perspective that illness brings is “Saturn”

They’re what keep me writing, and what keep me moving forward.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Look out for those you love.

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