Let's talk about "talking about mental health"

I recently Googled “mental health blogs” and found plenty of people who have been living with mental illness for most of their lives who are sharing their stories https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/best-blogs-of-the-year#1. I am grateful that they felt comfortable to share these important messages. Their experiences  were moving, and I am sure they have helped many people through tough times, but I couldn’t help but wonder about the number of people who don’t share, who keep quiet.  More and more people are now talking about mental health, but at the same time there are also those that have turned away from counselling or therapy because they felt that they were not “fitting the mould” of a what a client/patient “should look like”. I’ve heard people make comments like, “I’m not that bad” or “ counselling is for people with severe problems”. And thus, many people go on without ever taking that important step to find support. Then moving through life without getting insight and guidance from a trained professional. This is a misconception because every person will suffer at least some distress in their life. But sometimes people have gone through it alone, later realising that it is too much to handle. There is still a stigma around mental health and thankfully more is being done to promote the wellbeing of individuals, the work environment, and our communities at large. This makes it more mainstream to talk about, and show a genuine interest in mental wellbeing. But there are still plenty of people who don’t find help, to those people I would say that counselling is not just for people right on the edge, it can help people at any stage, and it is important to take the time to heal your mind before issues become bigger and harder to deal with. It can be off-putting to consider whether you need support, but in seeking out a professional, you’ll be taking that important first step. If you think you might need mental health support, it is good to think about the best approach, but in my view, it is more about finding the right professional than it is questioning whether you need support at all.