Wearing Masks and NOT coz it's Halloween
October is upon us, which not only means things that go bump in the night but also the beginning of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. This is a very common issue in mental health but can be treated as long as we don't treat depression with shame by forcing people to wear masks instead of ask for help. So let's celebrate mental health as well as Halloween this month.
RJ Walker brings one of his poems to us this month. RJ Walker is a Professional Presenter and Spoken Word artist on Salt Lake City, Utah. "What's a spoken word artist?" you may be thinking. Well, RJ Walker is proficient in multiple mediums of spoken word. Voice Over, Voice Acting, Creative Writing, Storytelling, Stand-Up Comedy, Performance (slam) Poetry. He also has experience as a Pitch Artist, and Product Demonstrator. Check out RJ's stuff at https://rjwalkerpoet.com/
A mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the same time every year. Seasonal affective disorder occurs in climates where there is less sunlight at certain times of the year. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal. Treatment includes light therapy (phototherapy), talk therapy, and medications. Check out https://mentalhealthyfit.org for more Films, Ideas and Tips. #mentalhealth #halloween #poem #poetry #sad #depression #mask
RJ tells us about the poem.
“My Poem Represents Even after all that happened, my mental illnesses didn’t just go away. I have to manage them and live with them constantly. Often I have to sacrifice social situations or nicety’s to manage my condition. I lead a sober lifestyle, no alcohol or drugs. I know addiction runs in my family as well, and it already looks like I have the full gambit of other stuff. On top of that, drugs or alcohol could greatly exacerbate my mental illnesses. Because of my sobriety, and the fact that I can be a bit of a downer at parties due to my depression and PTSD, I don’t get invited to a lot of them. I usually get a lot of silent judgement from my peers. Makes me feel mormon again. “Why aren't’ you drinking?” and then I either have to explain the whole sob story, or make something up “oh, I’m driving.” “Why aren’t you socializing” and then I have to explain my social anxiety, and self defeating tendencies, or just make something up “I just have to send some emails on my phone” A few years ago, I was invited to a Halloween party by my girlfriend at the time. Everybody was drunk but me. I was the only one without a halloween costume. I got a lot of drunken criticism, and left. I wrote a poem about the experience. It takes place in a world where I’m brave enough to say what I should have said. It’s about the masks that we all wear to be acceptable, and how thick the mask must be for those with mental illness, in order to be more accepted by society. There’s the old saying that Clark Kent is Superman’s costume. RJ sometimes feels like my mental illnesses costumes, and wearing this costume is how I’m able to operate in society with minimal damage to myself and others. I came to that halloween party wearing the same costume I always wear. The scariest costume in the room- a monster, dressed as a man.”