Saw this quote & played around w it a bit…but it provides one of the best analogies for mental health being on a continuum I’ve been able to find. Such a divergence from the “1 in 5 only” campaigns that continue to be used.
No, we aren’t all in the same “boat” (different genetics, different life experiences). Some of us are on yachts (maybe have more resiliency, naturally). Some of us may be in canoes (having to row against currents & waves to get any movement at all). Some of us are even out of a boat altogether & already in the water, drowning in an ocean of “stuff” w/o clearly seeing other familiar boats nearby, bc we don’t have many fam or friends around us. But it doesn’t mean there aren’t other boats or even other swimmers also trying to stay afloat, who can help us.
And the storm – it’s one we are ALL in. That’s the human condition. It gets messy & hard & even dangerous at times. And just like the storm has different pockets – some where the winds are forceful, some where there is downpour & lightning, & even some where it’s calm & the sun shines through – the human condition is similar. We’re all in the storm. We all have challenges we face. We all experience those challenges to varying levels. We all appreciate the breaks in the weather when there is calm.
But if we can agree that we’re all in the storm, together, it’s less scary. Not only are we “not alone”…which is what we hear so many times in campaigns, we are instead in it w EVERYONE else…& we can find comfort in that…comfort in knowing that while we’re in different boats & different areas of the storm, there are so many other boats & even swimmers around us who can help us stay above water, swim, row or even motor on, & continue through to the next spot where the sun is shining through.
