I was thinking about those stories today where a girl/guy meets a guy/girl and suddenly all their mental problems are solved and they are no longer depressed or anxious or whatever .
And like hey that sounds great and all but I hate that narrative because it doesn’t work that way .
I met my boyfriend almost 2 years ago and he is one of the most supportive and sweetest people I know. But you know what he didn’t cure my depression and he didn’t cure my anxiety and he didn’t stop me from having all the issues I have because it doesn’t work that way.
But you know what he does do?
He listens to me when I’m upset
He comforts me when I’m sad or anxious
He has his moments where he doesn’t know what to do or gets mad or upset about how I feel about myself or react to his compliments or actions.
But he doesnt give up on me
He doesn’t stop loving me just because I have mental illness he doesn’t give up on me just because I didn’t suddenly heal after we started going out. He doesn’t stop believing in me just because I have bad days or weeks or months.
He keeps pushing me. He keeps loving me.
And that’s what I think needs to be the narrative.
Mental illness doesn’t stop just because someone gets into a relationship. It doesn’t stop when you meet the “right person”. The right person just knows how to cope with it
They know how to comfort you and how to be there by your side when you’re going through the worst of it.
They sit by you when you cry and shake during a panic attack.
They are there for you when you are puking or hurting because of your addiction or pain.
They hold you hand when you’re too anxious to do something .
They hold you and tell you , you are perfect just the way you are when all you see in the mirror is horror.
They will support you through your manic hair cuts, breakdowns, black outs, sleepless nights spent doing something ridiculous and hug you through your down lows, sobbing, hysteric, suicidal moments
They stand by you in the darkest times because those moments don’t just dissapear when you enter a relationship , but they do get just a little bit less dark.
And that person pushes you to make all those dark moments be a little less dark. They push you to challenge your mental illness and to fight it. To make your world a brighter place than it was.
That’s what should be the narrative .
snowghoul
germansingergirl
tangentwithtanner
titsay