On my post that I wrote about how I plan to change my life, I received a comment. It went EXACTLY like this,
“This may be a dumb question, but as I was reading this blog, I noticed something.
You say you are a hypochondriac, then u list OCD, Anxiety, depression etc, being a hypochondriac it would be natural to check off yes to 99% of the question on that survey, wouldn’t it?
As an APRN I don’t wish any medications on anyone,unless it absolutely necessary. Nowadays addiction is so common, I try to limit certain medications.
I just hope your doctor is aware, because being hypochondriac is a major factor.” While this didn’t OFFEND me in any way, it did inspire me to think about labels in regards to mental health.
This blog chronicles my life, and along with that I share about my mental health struggle. I share so someone else can look and see and maybe relate. Maybe they too worry about dying from some disease. Or maybe they can’t go to bed at night because they worry about what will happen in the future. Someone else might be concerned that their butt is crossed over the sexy line to too big (if there is such a thing). Maybe they love cats and their kids, have a messy house and messy lives. Maybe they can find something in this, so they feel less alone. That is my true hope. I do not share ALL of my life. Or all the details of my appointments. That would be incredibly boring. I just give you the juicy tidbits. But I will say this, for those of you who may be worried that I am actually manifesting that I have a mental illnesses because of the fact that I am a hypochondriac…… I wish I was. I joke about being severely depressed because it is what I do. It is one of my coping mechanisms. I call myself a couch lump because saying that I have no energy to get off of the couch or shower just isn’t as fun. Therapist have given me lots of labels, etc. My LABELS are just that. Something for them to write down to bill insurance companies. In truth, they criss-cross over each other, jumble up, and make a mess, just like life does. They do not define me as a person. They are a piece of me, and I tell you now, because I share so openly, I do not think any question to be dumb. But I beg of you to not spend your time worrying about whether or not I am being overdosed on anti-depressants. I am not at risk for any addiction, except for maybe the new Pokemon go app. My doctor is aware of my story. Those labels are more complex than just the words I write down and don’t fit into a properly labeled box. They don’t define me, but they do offer a bit of insight. They show that I have struggled, and I have looked straight in the face of ugliness and trauma, and I am still here. I am a constant work in progress, always reflecting and growing myself. I am strong. I am not ashamed of any of it. I write so you see that people with mental illness are people that are just like you and people you know. We so often see extreme cases where medicine doesn’t work or isn’t taken and the aftershocks surrounding that. Then people shake their heads and talk about mental health with fear. But more often than not it is just a label. A word that makes up a tiny part of a person. Maybe they need medicine, maybe they need compassion, but they very rarely need judgement.
xo, Justine
Life Already in Progress 
The comment from me, was in no way labeling. I apologize if you misunderstood, I thought I was clear. If you can joke about depression and other stuff that’s great for you. There are people that live with depression and trying to cope with some of the things mentioned. If you are not dealing with them firsthand, it can be easier to joke about. You said you share, for people who can relate etc, I didnt realize some of the things you mentioned, was something to joke about. You have confused me, and I apologize if you do not suffer from any of the things you wrote in your last post, and that you checked off yes to at your appointment.
My misunderstanding.
I help people for a living, judgment free! If people are capable of judging others, for anything, especially things out of their control then healthcare isn’t the place for them.
In no way was my comment judgemental or condescending, it was out of concern. Cleary you do not want your readers to express their concern, I will keep that in mind in the future.
I wish the best if luck to you and your loved ones, as I am sure they have to cope with your illnesses? And ignorance.
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I’m not saying mental illness is a joke. I do and am struggling with all of those things. I make my situation only one that I sometimes write about in a light hearted way. My journey has been. incredibly difficult but if I don’t try to see any light or some light at all then it would be dismal. I wasn’t critical of your comment at all. it just made me think about labels in general when they were all listed like that. I am sorry if you took offense, but I couldn’t contact you to find you and say that I wrote a blog post because of your comment. Again, I don’t think you are judgemental, BUT I have met people that are when they come across all of those labels at once. They expect me to behave a certain way or that that is all that there is to me. I don’t think mental illness is a joke. I have no problem with people expressing their concern. I just take my individual situation and talk about it in a way that I can manage.
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