Talking About Your Mental Health Online - Should We?

My Mam and I were chatting about Facebook one evening, generally about the stuff that people post on there. She then happened to mention that one of her Facebook friends had posted about her mental health on one of her statuses, something my Mam thought was wrong. Something which I disagreed with. Something that I made her aware of is that I suffer from my mental health also.

Talking about mental health online

Which brings me to the question - should we talk about our mental health online? My answer being yes - but only if you're comfortable in doing so.


I have no problem or shame in talking about my mental health. It's no secret that I have suffered problems with my mental health, and sometimes still do today. More often or not, what you see on my Instagram or blog isn't generally me all of the time. What I mean by that is I may have a smile on my face, I may have makeup on and my hair may look decent for once, but sometimes that's just for show. Somedays, I'm struggling.


Talking about my mental health kind of makes me feel better. In a way, I find it cathartic. I always feel like when people talk about their mental health online, they could be helping somebody else. Somebody reading that status, tweet or story could be inspired to speak to someone they trust.

Talking about mental health online


Like I said, only share what's going on if you feel comfortable doing so. Nobody is forcing you to, we all have different coping mechanisms and there are probably a few of you out there reading this who feel uneasy about sharing your mental health story - and that's ok. Don't feel pressured to just because Sandra from Asda feels she can share her mental health story.



Out of interest, on my Instagram stories, I posted some polls relating to this post. I wanted to see how people see their mental health, but others also. Here are the results:


Do you like talking about your mental health online? - 60% said yes




Do you like it when others openly talk about their mental health online? - 93% said yes




Do you feel inspired to open up about your mental health online when someone you follow does?
- 74% said yes




Do you think people should keep quiet about their mental health and not talk about it online? 
- 91% said no



Obviously, these are just based on my followers alone. But I would like to think that people would agree with the answers to these questions.



If you want to talk about your mental health online, then do that. No one should ever criticise you or question your reasons for wanting to share you mental health status. However, as I said near the beginning, only do it if you feel content in doing so. It's a huge step to share your story online. I took the huge step only about a year ago and I'm glad I did. The amount of support I received was unreal. It made me feel like I wasn't going through this alone.

Talking about mental health online

As it is Mental Health Awareness Week if you feel like you need to speak to someone right now, especially during this current climate, here are a list of numbers:


Anxiety UK - 03444 775 774
www.anxietyuk.org.uk


CALM - 0800 58 58 58


Mind - 0300 123 3393


No Panic - 0844 967 4848


PAPYRUS - 0800 061 4141


Samaritans - 116 123
www.samaritans.org.uk


YoungMinds - 0808 802 5544
24 comments
  1. Wonderful post and I think it's so important to talk about your mental health if you feel comfortable to. I think doing it online is especially cathartic - there's almost like a sense of anonymity about even though there so obviously isn't and people know it's you! I definitely feel like it's a lot easier when you talk about it on an online platform rather than face to face. Of course it's still important to have face to face conversations if you're happy and comfortable with it, but I know for me it's often easier to write things down, whether it's in my journal or on my blog! Thank you for sharing xx

    Amy | sassycatlady.com

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    1. Thank you Amy. Writing things down is so much easier sometimes, at least you're getting your thoughts out there rather than keeping them hidden away! xx

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  2. Great post Lucy! I think it's so important to talk about your mental health, and if talking about it online helps yourself or others then there's no reason not to share how you're feeling! x

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

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    1. Thank you Faye, absolutely! We shouldn't feel shamed in talking about our mental health online x

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  3. Great post! I definitely felt like talking about my mental health online was/is a good thing for me to do, I do remember the first day I decided to tell the world my 'story' and I remember sharing it on my personal Facebook also and it was honestly a really scary thing but I'm so glad I did it. I remember having colleagues at my then work come over to me and say how it encouraged them to want to talk about what they were going through too and that they weren't alone.

    Chloe xx
    www.chloechats.com

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    1. That's so amazing to hear that your story inspired your work colleagues to do the same Chloe! xx

      Lucy | www.lucymary.co.uk

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  4. I love how that conversation opened up this topic for the two of you. I totally agree with you. If you're comfortable about who you are what you're going through, it could be really great. It's a way to share without the awkwardness of face to face, or some people just find it therapeutic. It can be a good way to help other people if you're talking about your previous experience and you're through the worst of it too. Or simply a way to get encouragement and some comfort on a bad day. Maybe not for everyone as the internet isn't always the nicest place but it definitely has some strong benefits x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. Absolutely Sophie, sometimes talking face to face doesn't work for some people. Like you said though, the internet isn't for everyone and it can be a horrible place sometimes x

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  5. I love this conversation.

    For the past couple of days I've been trying to find the right words to discuss my mental health experience, and after much deliberation I hit publish this morning. I've been incredibly open and honest on the subject and I have so much more I want to write, but I also feel an awkwardness because I'm fearful of being judged.

    I'm so incredibly proud of myself this morning however and reading other people's blog content across social media has been inspiring.

    Kate | thelittlecrunch.co.uk

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    1. I'm so happy that you hit the publish button to discuss your mental health experience! It takes real courage and you should be so proud of yourself Kate! xx

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  6. Mental health has been a taboo for so many centuries that it should definitely be talked about openly. And preferably by people who actually struggle with mental health issues and who actually know about them. Not those people who just want to be a part of a "trend", which mental health obviously isn't. So, I agree with you completely, talk about openly because you never know who your words might help to feel even a bit better :)

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    1. I agree Teresa, your mental health story could inspire and help so many others!

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  7. Really interesting and heartwarming that 93% of people actually like it when others talk about their mental health online! It's great that so many people would want you to speak out rather than bottle it up.

    MB | http://www.megbeth.travel.blog

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    1. Yeah I thought it was quite refreshing to see that people don't mind others talking about their mental health online! x

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  8. The online world is such a precursor of the deterioration of people's mental health, so it's only fair we have these discussions online as well.
    Great insight! And lovely pic :)

    http://www.desiringsme.com/upgrading-routines-quarantine/

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  9. This is such a wonderful post, pet. I agree 100%! It's about feeling comfortable with sharing, especially online. I personally feel more comfortable talking about it online than in real life.

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    1. Thank you lovely! I'm glad you agree, some people do prefer to share their story online rather than face to face!

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  10. Great post, We should talk more about our mental health, even it's online or face to face. It does help to talk more about our issues, that what we do with the volunteering that I do, that the young people can talk to me or others about their issues in confidence, so they don't feel ashamed of speaking out.

    Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes

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    1. That's an amazing thing to do Nic, it's so important that people can communicate with someone they can trust! x

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  11. You need courage sometimes to open up and talk about your mental health online. Great post! xx

    Marilyn from www.marilynnassar.wordpress.com

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  12. The poll you wrote about was interesting because I feel that I have no problem talking about my mental health online to people I don't personally know, but I struggle to do the same to close friends and family.

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    1. I feel that way too lovely, I find it easier talking about it online rather than to family and friends sometimes

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