Talking About Mental Health Can Be Spooky
But it’s not as scary as staying silent.
Hope For The Day is ready for Halloween and if you haven’t stopped by Sip of Hope Coffee Bar in Logan Square this month, you’re missing out on some otherworldly decorations— and a chance to talk about mental health! The coffee shop, which donates 100% of its proceeds to our proactive suicide prevention and mental health education programs, serves as a rallying point for our community to come together and break the silence of stigma.
As one of the highest risk factors of suicide, mental health stigma continues to prevent individuals from speaking up about their mental health and utilizing resources. We know it can be scary to open up to others about how you’re feeling when there is the threat of judgment or misunderstanding from your peers, but stigma doesn’t have to haunt us.
The criminally insane, violent, out of control, asylum-bound stereotypes portrayed by the entertainment industry, usually around Halloween time, are outdated and misguided representations of mental health—and rest assured, today’s mental health care does not look like a horror film. The truth is, anyone can face a mental health challenge at any point in their life, and the care of a therapist, counselor, or support group can greatly impact an individual’s quality of life. Furthermore, a mental health diagnosis does not equate to the end of someone’s life.
This Halloween let’s scare away stigma instead of being scared by it. Let’s ditch the masks and be ourselves. Tell your friends and family how you really feel, and teach someone that IT’S OK NOT TO BE OK.
We don’t have to hide our feelings or allow pressure to build without hope of an outlet. By speaking up about our personal mental health challenges and raising the visibility of resources, we can break the silence that prevents too many of us from reaching out before crisis.
If you or a loved one has experienced or is experiencing a mental health challenge, please visit our website or stop in at Sip of Hope for mental health resources. We promise the scariest thing you’ll encounter at the coffee shop is the decor— so you can get stuck in a web, not your own head! Treat yourself to a chai and don’t trick yourself into believing you should put off seeking support. Mental health impacts everyone. WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER.