R U OK? (No, really. Are you?)

The thirteenth of September marked a day in our calendar that was wide spread across every facebook page, every instagram photo, every twitter post...

It was a day that commemorated something big, and important- while still a part of our every day. It was a day that brought attention to something that we all face every single day... And yet here we are, dedicated September thirteen of two-thousand-and-eighteen to it.Because recently in Australia, it was R U OK day.What? That's it? Yep. Yeah, that's it.

Now, obviously, you'd think that I did the typical 'Chloe' thing, and forgotten to post something on time... (what? Me? No. Never.). You'd expect this blog post to be written on the day itself, just like every single other blog post and Youtube video with royalty free sad music and 140 character twitter post in the world... but the fact that this post isn't on that day, and that people would find that odd... is exactly why we need to bring it up.

R U OK day is a day where people all across Australia post those four word statuses to show their 'support' to the cause. They post those square shaped photos with block letters of the wording on it, or simple statuses. They post things to show their support, to show that they're an ally.But, and here's the real kicker.... It's pointless.Support is meaningless when the clock ticks over and September thirteenth becomes September fourteenth and your statuses return to sharing funny cat videos or posting photos of your mildy-aesthetically-pleasing brunch.Because on every other day the word 'mental health' is a taboo, and when if a friend actually answers to your four-worded-status with 'no', nothing will change.

The bottom line, and the thing that people seem to forget once the clock strikes midnight to bring in the dawn of a new day, is that R U OK isn't a day, it isn't a craze, it isn't a charity to donate your pocket change to. It isn't a trendy hashtag to post to your twitter followers.

It's our every day. Our. Mine. Your.

"Now, this isn't to say that every person is currently suffering from periods of ill mental health (or if you are, then that's okay, too), but it's that mindset that is what is causing the issues, that's what is causing the disconnect.We all have 'mental health', just like we all have physical health... And for some bizarre reason, one of them is considered ridiculous if you don't care for it, and the other is considered taboo... and I don't know about you, but that just seems really, really backwards.

I remember when I was in school (yuck), we'd get sent home the moment a sniffle was heard from the classroom... Because we wouldn't want that child getting sick, we wouldn't want that child making other children get sick.But God forbid that a child may be suffering. That someone may be battling through something internal that isn't as easily visible as a flu, or a sniffle, or a fractured bone.

We all have mental health, and we all have spells of time were our mental health isn't at the peak. And that's okay.We can all take time to ensure that our mental health is looked after, the same way we care for our physical health.

We look after ourselves when we get a sniffle, we look after ourselves when we hurt our knee.We look after ourselves by washing our hands and brushing our teeth and going to sleep and eating well.So why is it so hard.... why is it so abstract and so taboo to put up the idea of taking care of our mental health? Why is the idea for caring for the most important organ of your whole body seen as 'weak'?

Mental health isn't a dirty word. Mental health isn't a word that should be associated with negativity, with poor images, with horror movies, with sickness and despair.It isn't a word that should be associated with weakness, with fragility, with feebleness.

It's a word that should be associated with all of us, with our every day, with our 'always'.

I know this is the sort of post that people will read, and perhaps look over it and say nothing, do nothing, change nothing. Maybe they'll think it's an overreaction, an unnecessary post... But today, it's more important than anything.With suicide being the leading cause of death of people in Australia between the ages of 15 and 44, it is so, so important that we start to erase this stigma of being 'too cool' and 'too prideful' to talk about our mental health with people, to begin to take charge of our own mental health.

Taking charge of your mental health is okay.Talking about your mental health is okay.Talking about your ill mental health is okay.It is okay to reach out, to seek help, to need someone.

Because the bottom line is, we all need help, sometimes... and it's time that we realise that everything needs help to grow.Even the most beautiful flower in the most beautiful garden, withers away without care.

It's time to realise that taking charge of our own mental health doesn't make us weak, it makes us wise.Take time out for yourself.Take time out to love yourself.Reach out for help if you need it.Talk to someone you love.Talk to a doctor.Talk to someone you trust.There is always an answer, there is always a solution.

Every storm cloud has a silver lining, and yours is just around the river bend.

_____________________

AUSTRALIAN HELPLINES:

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

Lifeline: 13 11 14

VIDEO ABOUT SADNESS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?