Speaking About your Experience

I'm just about to start to speak publicly about my mental health condition. I've already started to take small steps in achieving my goal. I've started this blog, which allows me to at the same time record my thoughts about mental health, stigma, and diversity, and also reach out to others who would like to explore their own self-advocacy journey. One of the other actions I've started to take is talking openly to individuals I meet about my experiences with psychosis. I am measured in how I do this. Invariably, most conversations begin with asking each other how we are. It's common societal conditioning to say 'how are you?' and then respond with 'I'm ok,' and then the other person responds in a like-minded manner. I've started to be a lot more transparent about how I actually feel while also keeping it within someone's comfort zone. What I've noticed about this is as soon as I open up to 'Actually, I've been having a rough time' or 'I feel ok but could be better,' people begin to respond with a more authentic version of how they actually feel. Next is broaching the subject of psychosis. I start with the idea I'm recovering from an ailment and then introduce the subject of psychosis. So far, the response has been positive, with people asking questions. The most surprising response has been that almost everyone I've spoken to has immediately opened up about their own mental health struggle or that of a loved one. This has encouraged me to speak more about this subject. So a good starting point in speaking about your own mental health experience is to gently talk to other individuals you meet with an open heart and open mind.