How do i move away from having the mindset of "Every single person who has a chronic/persistent/diagnosed mental health condition, is automatically therefore a "weak" or "broken" person?

[Nonoanddefintelyno]

Ongoing way I feel about myself

I'd lay odds that you got this from a parent or other significant adult around you when you were little. They are not prejudices you were born with.

How do you counter it? By thinking about how those groups of people have to work so much harder to achieve the things that people without disabilities don't think twice about. Walking into a pub and chatting to strangers for example.

They – and you – are stronger than you think.

I was listening to Stephen Fry on a podcast and he was saying that some of the most accomplished and beloved people live with (for example) bipolar disorder. I liked that. We are not our illness, I wouldn’t say ‘I am bipolar’ I would say ‘I have bipolar disorder’ it is just one part of who we are and it’s so common I don’t really feel too bothered about it. Plus I think anyone who has had to cope with mental illness is actually really strong as it’s like living in hell when you are ill. X

My experience of depression - severe, suicidal level depression - was that much of it was driven by begative self-talk. I was very reluctant to take antidepressants so, if I was going to get better, I had to stop labelling myself in those absolute, negative ways that I was.

My journey to getting better wasn't quick, and I made some pretty big life changes as well, but being stubborn and determined that I'd start being nice to myself was absolutely critical.

If I catch myself telling myself I'm stupid, useless or my life is pointless now - I reject tge thought as "making me sick" as soon as I notice it.

Obviously this requires noticing when you're labelling yourself this way, and deciding the impact of that labelling is part of the cause?

Best wishes with the battle to stay well.

“Weak” and “broken” are not the same thing and they don’t need to be seen as value-judgements.

If I break my leg, it is temporarily weakened. So I get medical help to fix the broken bone, then I do physiotherapy to make it strong and healthy again.

You wouldn’t judge someone for having a broken leg, would you? “Oh look at that wreckless idiot with the broken leg, how pathetic! Really you have to be a lesser person to have a broken leg.” Said no one ever.

Labelling yourself in this unkind way is a habit you simply need to stop. Catch yourself thinking it, remember the point about broken legs, and set the thought aside.

My DD is one of the most resilient people I know despite her anxiety.
Every day is a struggle but she (mainly) gets up and perseveres.

I read something on twitter and somebody said that in Gaelic people often say something like “I have anxiety on me” instead of “I have anxiety”. I have no idea if thats true or not but as someone who’s had mental health issues in the past I really liked it. The idea of separating self from the condition.

This ...

in the same way that someone has dyslexia / has autism / has cancer.

They are more than their condition.

That's very true. Anxiety is an emotion; you wouldn't say "I have anger or happiness or fear", you'd say I feel the [relevant emotion] which makes it temporary and not something that defines who you are.

'I have anxiety' or 'I suffer from anxiety' is surely just shorthand for saying 'I have a (medically recognised) anxiety disorder'

DD is sometimes anxious about exams, new starts etc.
But she also has an anxiety disorder that impacts negatively across her life.

Oh op there is so much strength in adversity. I would not remotely be the person I am today, had I not been through what I have. Things that help - getting support to heal, helping others and sharing your experiences, talking about how mental health conditions are perceived in society, having a sense of humour, finding enjoyable hobbies.

In Japan when they break a bowl they then glue it back together but the cracks are covered in beautiful gold paint so it then creates a thing of beauty. In a similar way, mosaics are made up of broken pieces of glass, but together they make a beautiful whole.