It’s not just OK not to be OK; sometimes it’s perfectly appropriate!

Over the last 18 months or so, with Covid-19, lockdowns and restrictions, and even more recently with the Olympic Games and the pressures on some athletes, mental-health has been put under the spotlight even more than usual.?

This is mostly a good thing. For too long too many didn’t talk enough about mental ill-health, and the silence and avoidance only exacerbated stigma and ignorance which made it less likely those in need sought help, and more likely they’d suffer more than necessary.?

So, I for one am almost always happy when psychological illness makes the headlines.?

Except when I’m not.?

And when I’m not happy is usually when I think the attention is misplaced; or misguided. And to be perfectly honest, I think some of the recent attention has been just that.?

Any reasonable view of the last year or so would note that although we’ve all be affected differently, almost everyone has experienced more than their fair share of stress and worry, uncertainty and disruption, loss of control and grief.?

Further, I believe any reasonable interpretation of these experiences would accept the appropriateness of emotions such as depression and anxiety, hopelessness and helplessness.?

As much as many of us want more attention to be given to mental ill-health, we must also never forget that the so-called “negative emotions” are totally normal and at times, appropriate responses to negative life events, to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.?

Not performing at one’s best when under extreme pressure is not necessarily … mental ill-health.?

Feeling more irritable and frustrated, sad and exhausted in the face of extended lockdowns and restricted social and occupational movements is not necessarily … mental ill-health.?

Let me be clear; I’m the last person who would ever want mental ill-health to be swept under the carpet. There’s absolutely no way I want to go back to the dark old days of suffering in silence.?

But at the same time, I do think it’s important to recognise that depression and hopelessness can sometimes be reasonable and appropriate experiences in life. Accepting this reality is, in my humble opinion, a crucial aspect not just of resilience but also, of living a good and meaningful life.??