In the past ten years, there’s been a huge push to normalize talking about mental health as openly as we talk about our physical health. Canada’s Bell Let’s Talk campaign put a spotlight on mental health and aimed to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness. Since then, the campaign has committed $100 million to mental health in Canada.
People posted selfies of themselves crying, looking depressed and stressed out on their social media feeds with the hashtags #BellLetsTalk, #mentalhealth, #depression, #mentalhealthawareness and so on. Others posted beautiful photos of their fabulous selves and admitted that behind those fantastic smiles, the enviable personas they present to the world are very far from the way they really feel a lot of the time.
GenXers and GenZee-ers bonded over their shared struggles, opened the door to honest discussions about their mental health struggles and for many, this public mental health coming out was hugely cathartic.
Sharing Our Mental Health Journeys
Similar movements have taken hold all over. In the US, a slew of mental health awareness campaigns have populated our social media feeds and shared psyche in the last decade, especially since the onset of the global pandemic. In 2020, Instagram co-founder and former CEO Kevin Systrom wrote in a blog post: “Every day on Instagram, we see people share their mental health journeys and connect with communities of support. From dedicated accounts around an issue to unique hashtags adopted by groups, these communities are helping to make illnesses that are often invisible to friends and family visible through photos and videos.”
He was reflecting on how, prompted by this organic need people have to share, Instagram launched its #HereForYou campaign in 2017. The movement has since sought to turn a platform which is known to foster some serious FOMO (Fear of missing out) in many of its users to a safe space for sharing and finding support.
Another Gen-Z-focused study conducted by JanSport, the American Brand of backpacks, found that 7 out of 10 young people say mental health is weighing them down. This was just one of the insights the team uncovered through Pew Research. Their #LightenTheLoadCampaign was created to encourage open conversations among their target group around mental health.
Stigma Attached to Mental Health Issues
Yet, despite those campaigns and the tens of others who are making a difference, a 2015 Progress Report conducted by the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign, revealed that stigma is still the number 1 reason why two-thirds of those living with mental illness don’t ask for help.
In fact, according to a CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) 2016 survey on mental illness, 64% of Ontario workers would be concerned about how work would be affected if a colleague had a mental illness, 39% indicate that they would not tell their managers if they were experiencing a mental health problem and 40% of respondents agreed they have experienced feelings of anxiety or depression but never sought medical help for it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) findings are equally disheartening. Between August 2020 and February 2021, the number of people who experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression increased from 36% to 42% and the percentage of those reporting that they needed but did not receive mental health counseling or therapy increased from 9.2% to 11.7%
Reasons For Not Seeking Mental Health Treatment
If you’re one of the almost 12% of people who needs but is not receiving mental health counselling, your reasons could be as varied as fear of losing your job, fear of being perceived as weak or broken, not being able to afford the cost of treatment, and/or stigma.
Perception
You were raised to “get over it” and “suck it up”. Mental health is not something that was talked about openly in your household. Your aunt Alice’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was written off as the antics of a kooky artist and your brother’s nightmares and propensity to duck and take cover every time he hears a loud bang is perfectly normal, he’s just a little jumpy. (PTSD anyone?) Your well-meaning parents and friends keep telling you here’s nothing “really” wrong with you. You’re just anxious. All. Of. The. Time.
Cost
The average cost of therapy is $60 to $120 per session with most Americans paying anywhere from $20 to $250 an hour depending on the number of sessions booked. While in some countries these kinds of services are free, it’s easy to see why doubting the efficacy of these treatments might send you to the mall for some retail therapy instead of to a therapist to seek treatment. Treatment for relationship difficulties, issues with drug abuse, eating disorders, and mental illnesses like anxiety usually take around 5 to 10 months to resolve or improve substantially. And sessions average 50-minutes a week. That anywhere from $400 to $10,000 to improve something you’ve been conditioned to think isn’t such a big deal.
Stigma
You’re worried that your family, friends and co-workers might think less of you. You don’t want to be your family’s new “crazy aunt Alice”, miss out on that big promotion you want because “you’re not stable” or worry that no one will want to date you once they know. Relationships are hard enough without adding your mental illness baggage to the mix.
The Link Between Mental Health and Insomnia
So, what does any of this have to do with sleep?
Insomnia is often a pre-cursor or direct result of a mental health illness. That’s why we say someone “got up on the wrong side of the bed” when they wake up in a bad mood. Mental health disorders tend to make it harder to sleep well. By the same token, poor sleep, including insomnia, can be a contributing factor to the initiation and worsening of mental health problems.
Each stage of sleep plays a role in brain health, allowing activity in different parts of the brain to ramp up or down and enable better thinking, learning and memory. Research has also demonstrated that brain activity during sleep has profound effects on emotional and mental health.
Treat Your Insomnia with CBT-I
Cognitive behavioral Therapy – Insomnia (CBT-I) is based on the idea that negative thinking, or cognitive distortion, is at the root of our issues. It’s not about the events themselves, but how we look at them.
Although I’m all for consulting a professional when I’m feeling depressed, anxious or overwhelmed, I love the idea of being able to “fix” or help myself. It’s completely private, it’s affordable (most CBT workbooks cost between $15 and $20) and it’s completely private. You work on yourself on your own time and at your own pace. For some of us, it’s the perfect alternative.
What’s keeping you up at night?
Do you hold yourself to extremely high standards? Do you procrastinate certain tasks because you’re afraid you won’t carry them out perfectly? If you’ve answered “yes” to one or both of those questions, chances are you’re a perfectionist. And while there’s nothing wrong with hard work and high standards, perfectionism can also take over your life if you let it. So, how can you find balance? The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism: Practical Skills to Help You Let Go of Self-Criticism, Find Balance, and Reclaim Your Self-Worth could be the book you need to help you develop a more balanced perspective.
Need to change your inner monologue from negative down talk, to positive affirmations? Try the exercises in The Negative Thoughts Workbook: CBT Skills to Overcome the Repetitive Worry, Shame and Rumination That Drive Anxiety and Depression.
Tired of being a “glass is always half empty person”? Then the Happiness Workbook: A CBT-Based Guide to Foster Positivity and Embrace Joy might give you some relief and help you find joy and positivity.
I’m not saying, a $20 book is all you need to turn around years of self-doubt, crippling anxiety and/or chronic insomnia. I understand the importance of acknowledging mental health issues and seeking the proper help. But, if you’re an over thinker, often anxious, stressed out and your wheels start spinning the minute your head hits the pillow, CBT-I could be exactly what you need to put your feelings, worries or obsessions down on paper, rewrite them into positive affirmations, leave it all on the page and let go.
Have you tried CBT? With a therapist or on your own?