Thread by @chrisgeidner

Anyway, as I amusingly like to note, we go from Mental Health Awareness Month to LGBTQ Pride Month tonight, two months that are specifically about ME! I’m bipolar, have added in some delightful anxiety during the pandemic, and am very gay and queer. So, let’s celebrate all that!

Seriously though, especially as we come out of this past year, people are dealing with lots of mental health issues — including old ones in new ways. We really need to do our best to be gentle. It’s tough. I fail often. But we can all benefit from gentleness right now.

I had to change my meds during the pandemic, I had bad stomach issues, I had a period where I started having panic attacks. I had to be vulnerable in new ways to get the help that I needed. Now, coming out the other side, I’m sure there will be more I’m going to need.

I try to remember that others, also, faced similar difficulties and changes, and are now adjusting yet again. Others are just identifying problems now, or are just reading this or something else and identifying an idea of what they’re going through.

We’re also layering the pandemic issues on top of the other crises that make people’s lives more difficult, from racism to poverty to sexism and more — crises reinforced and worsened in many ways over this past year.

For me, there’s also addiction. The fact that I’ve stayed sober this whole pandemic is a miracle that, yeah, truly helps me stay centered each morning and each night — if not always for the hours in between.

For me, mental health awareness isn’t a month. It’s something I have to pay attention to every day, all year, or else trouble could follow. (And regularly has when I let things slip because I get focused elsewhere or want to ignore my issues!)

But, when I do pay attention to my mental health — and physical health, which is so interrelated for me — things can go well, my life can get better, and I can look forward to LGBTQ Pride Month with a smile (or at least a smirk). 😉🏳️‍🌈

So, let’s try to be there for each other, let’s make our way through this, and let’s find a better tomorrow. 💜 Night, all, and let us try to be good to one another — and ourselves — this week.