This week I have been chatting to Adrian who is a mental health advocate who has been sharing his story on Instagram to help spread awareness of metal health and how it can effect you and your life. Adrian's Instagram page is @thementalmate which you can check out , and see some very useful information and where Adrian shares his own personal story.
I asked him to write his story and tell us why he started his Instagram page and his journey to help spread awareness of mental health.
Here is Adi's story:
I am Adrian, my friends and family call me Adi. I am 29 Years old and I live in
Berlin, Germany. Music is the most important thing in my life. I have been playing drums since I was 13 years old. I love nature and I love animals. My favourite things in the world are dogs and the joy of finding a new band I like a lot.
I have been dealing with Mental Health Issues since I was 15 years old.
So I would like to think that after 14 years now, I know a thing or two about struggling with Mental Health related issues. That's one of the reasons why I am doing all this. To share my experiences.
I will not go into much detail here for this is only to give you an idea of who I am or what I am dealing with.
So this is just a short overview of my "package" that I am carrying:
Major Depressive Disorder (Severe Clinical Depression)
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Avoidant (or Anxious) Personality Disorder
PTSD
I was also diagnosed with Crohn's disease in February 2021.
I have been in therapeutic treatment for 13 years now so I probably have hundreds if not over a thousand hours spent on / in therapy.
In addition to that I have spent a total of 31 weeks in a psychosomatic clinic.
One 15 week stay was back in winter 2012/13 and another 15 week stay was in winter 2018/19. In June 2021, I came to the clinic a third time, but left again at my own request after one week. So I would say that I have a pretty decent knowledge when it comes to the "Theory" of Mental Health.
Its the implementation in my daily life that I struggle with...
My current "situation" is unfortunately not very nice. Due to the various "problems" I have, I have got myself into a relatively bleak situation. I have been unemployed for over two years and am dependent on state and family assistance. I live alone in my apartment, which I am unfortunately only very rarely able to leave. Anxiety and depression are my constant companions. Various physical problems do not make it any easier. I would say that at the age of 29 I am still looking for something that makes my life worth living despite all the problems. I tried many things, different jobs, four different universities, but had to stop everything sooner or later due to my "problems". So now I'm at the point where I have nothing to show for it. No degree, no job, but a lot of debt to my family.
I do this project as a hobby, so to speak. It not only gives me something to do, but also a sense of purpose. When people write to me and tell me that I have motivated them, inspired them or helped them in some other way, that is more valuable to me than money. All my life I have been searching for something that fulfils me.
Well, this project gives me just that some days. I am still relatively at the beginning, trying out different things, trying to find my "style". I published my first posts in April 2019 and changed my concept and the way I build my project several times since then. At that time I also had my own blog and website. That is also what I am working on at the moment. I want to blog again, want to write again about what I think and feel and have experienced. So, should I find the courage to put the new blog online, you can find it at thementalmate.com.
This project could be summarized as a „Personal Mental Health Blog“ I guess.
I think my very first post on my first Instagram account is actually a pretty good statement on what my intentions are:
Mental Health Issues need an outlet.
Need someone who:
Listens
Cares
Understands
Relates
If one feels like there is nobody to talk to, who listens, who understands, who can relate...
One shall find it here!
Also I came up with a theory, which has been confirmed several times already:
"Every negative thought or feeling you have, can be converted into a positive thought or feeling for somebody else."
How? … By sharing! By talking openly and honestly about these thoughts and feelings. Just by doing that, you can show someone who is feeling and thinking the same, that he or she is NOT alone. And the feeling of being alone and being not understood is a huge part of many Mental Health Issues. I will say this a lot, but I believe in it:
"In everything bad, can also be good."
That's why I started this project and that's what I am trying to do.
I would like to educate people about Mental Health Issues. I want to help those who are affected by the same nasty things as I am, in whatever way I can. I want to spread positivity, and confidence but also (depending on how much courage I can muster) talk about the dark side of things.
Depression, anxiety disorder, social phobia and so on. How do they affect me in my daily life? What are the symptoms, thoughts, feelings? My goal is to find the golden solution. Both to motivate and inspire but also to address hard truths openly and honestly.
Accordingly, my contributions can be versatile. Depending on how I feel and what I feel like, it can be motivating words, wisdom or inspiring quotes I found. However, it can also be that I feel like talking about "dark" thoughts that I have, for example, during a depressive phase.
The goals are simple: Help me and at the same time try and help others. You know, Mental Health is something not many people talk openly about. Which is sad I think, because this project is still in the beginning and there were already so many times when I felt the benefit of talking openly about what ever topic was on my mind.
So goal number one would be: Trying to get better by talking about things I am used not talking about or because I don't have anybody to talk to. The more we talk about it, share our stories, and support one another, the better off we all will be! By having a better understanding of what symptoms and signs to look for in ourselves and in those we love, we can reach out and get help before it takes any more time from us!
And goal number two would be: Trying to make people feel less alone and more understood by raising awareness for Mental Health Issues and showing them, that they are not alone with their troubles. I am trying to accomplish that by actually thinking about things that I myself would have found to be useful in certain situations and then trying to offer these things to others.
So is this all and only about Mental Health?
Let me say it like this:
There probably will be times where all I have going on is my struggle with Mental Health Issues.
But I always wanted to "Blog" about things that interest me. Traveling, Fitness, Nature, Music, Video Games and so on. So hopefully I will be able to talk and post about some of these things. When I started this I made a decision:
I don't want to be another Instagram or Blogging person, that only shows people what they think people would want to see. I am not a fan of fake happiness and pretending to be something or someone I am not. I had to do both these things for a very long time.
I want to make sure that the things I post on this website as well as other platforms are authentic. I decided to try my best to be as real as life gets.
I would love nothing more than to be able to just go out and do what I want to do. Make travel Videos or really get into the whole "Fitness Blogger" thing. But the truth is, for me, that will always depend on how I am doing mentally and well financially. So, at the moment, my goal is to raise awareness about Mental Health Issues and to try and help people suffering from them. Who knows what the future brings. All I can do right now is put everything I have into this project and hope to be able to make a change. For myself and for others.
Thank you so much to Adi for being so open and honest about his struggles and for talking and spreading awareness of mental health illnesses. It is the best thing in the world to openly talk about mental health and to ask for help. I live in hope that one day there will be no stigma of mental health and we will all know the signs & symptoms , how to care and support one another. Until then I will never stop talking, sharing and telling my story. @gardenernikki
Comments