Excellent writing as usual Stephen!
I just loved reading this and I'm so happy that you wrote about the stigmatization of mental health. The topic has certainly gained traction over the last few years, but society still has a long way to go.
It's still considered a "weakness" (sadly) by some to get treatment for mental health, be it in the forms of therapy and medication. The other day I was watching a Joe Rogan podcast on YouTube about how many kids and adults are taking medication for mental health and they seemed astonished and disappointed at the numbers and I remember thinking, "Well, at least they're getting help and if the medication is helping them function...why is that a bad thing?"
A family member recently mentioned to me about how they found out someone they knew has OCD and said, "Yeah, she has to take like 6 different medications, no wonder she's screwed up."
And finally, my boyfriend's side of the family "doesn't believe in therapy." All of these things and more can be crippling to hear, and I'd imagine it's even worse for others who don't even have a support system. In short, the amount of people who aid in this stigmatization honestly shocks me.
Personally, from meeting and talking to so many people over my life, I've learned that it's very rare to come across someone who doesn't have an illness (either physically or mentally in this context). Everybody is dealing with some sort of anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar, OCD, etc. It's just a matter of how well they're hiding it and how severe or crippling it is to them. (So it makes no sense that there is still such a huge stigmatization surrounding this, but I have faith that it will improve in time).
I digress yet again, but just wanted to say this was an interesting and important read and I'm glad you talked about your anxiety. The insomnia one I can relate to as well. The pandemic gave me my first taste of severe insomnia, as in, sleeping 3 hours a night or less in "blocks" of time. It was absolute hell. Fortunately, I've mostly recovered from it.
Did the "severe state" of your anxiety/insomnia lift after retiring as a Coast Guard Officer? Was it more of a gradual recovery or was it more "over night?"
