ROMANTICIZING STRUGGLE

"I think I'm depressed, I don't feel okay, I need help"."Which kain? I'm more depressed than you!" Now, tell me why I found myself caught between laughing and being genuinely disturbed. Is this a competition for the most depressed person. Since when did pain become a competition? Don't get me wrong, people genuinely struggle with depression, I know that It is not a small load to carry at all, and I would never want anyone to feel that their struggles are being dismissed.But something about that conversation didn't sit right with me.What if the first person was genuinely struggling and was simply trying to express how she felt but instead of listening, the other person responded by trying to outdo her, trying so hard to prove that she had it worse.Whatever her intentions were, it got me thinking about how casually we sometimes throw serious mental health terms around. And honestly, it doesn't stop at depression.Someone likes everything spotless, and suddenly, "I have OCD!"Someone struggles to concentrate, and it's, "I have ADHD"Someone feels sad for a few days, and they're already declaring themselves depressed.But wait a minute. Are we describing what we feel, or are we diagnosing ourselves? There's a difference, you know. Being particular about cleanliness doesn't automatically mean someone has OCD. Struggling to concentrate doesn't necessarily mean someone has ADHD. And feeling sad, even deeply sad, isn't automatically the same as having clinical depression.As a matter of fact, sadness is a very normal and healthy reaction to not so good things that happen.These conditions are more than the little labels we sometimes attach to ourselves. Of course, I'm not saying you must be diagnosed before you're allowed to talk about your struggles, you don't need a medical report before your feelings deserve to be heard. But there's a difference between trying to understand yourself and casually claiming a condition because the label seems relatable, trendy, or even cool.And when we turn these conditions into casual labels, don't we risk making light of the experiences of those who live with them every day? Imagine struggling with a condition that affects your daily life, only to hear people use as a joke, a personality trait, or a badge of honour. Wouldn't that feel dismissive? Mental health conditions aren't fashion statements and they're definitely not competitions. To those who are struggling, please speak up, your feelings matter, even when you don't yet understand them.But people who casually claiming a condition simply because it sounds cool...come on!Let's stop turning people's struggles into trends. Some things deserve understanding, not imitation.

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