I am not a stranger
to the dark
Hide away, they say
'Cause we don't want your broken parts
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars
Run away, they say
No one'll love you as you are
Hide away, they say
'Cause we don't want your broken parts
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars
Run away, they say
No one'll love you as you are
But I won't let
them break me down to dust
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
When the sharpest
words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
Another round of
bullets hits my skin
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in
We are…
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in
We are…
Another round of
bullets hits my skin
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in
We are bursting through the barricades and
Reaching for the sun (we are warriors)
Yeah, that's what we've become (yeah, that's what we've become)
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in
We are bursting through the barricades and
Reaching for the sun (we are warriors)
Yeah, that's what we've become (yeah, that's what we've become)
I won't let them
break me down to dust
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
- This Is Me - Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman
So
recently, I went to the cinema with one of my bestfriend’s (and bridesmaid),
Lauren; to see The Greatest Showman. I don’t want to include any spoilers, so
I’ll just say… it was incredible!
But
also… in it, Hugh Jackman plays a man who, massively, invests (not just
financially) in his ideas. When others tell him he’s wrong, or try to take
something away from his successes, he stands up to them and refuses to minimise
or ignore his dreams and imagination.
Instead
he put his all into making them happen (something, I hope, that I do myself in
life). He defended those people who were ‘different’ to the rest of society,
and invited them to show themselves to the world; telling them they should be
proud rather than ashamed.
There
was such an incredible, feel-good message to the film that unsurprisingly; it’s
had me listening to the soundtrack on YouTube about twenty (no exaggeration)
times!!
A few
days later I found myself in a situation where the message of the musical, and
my own morals and beliefs, had me questioning what this person was saying.
We were
discussing mental health, and someone made a comment that they didn’t want to
associate with that cause because they believed that nothing was being done
about the stigma; there’d be no change. If you’ve read, I’m NOT Disordered for
a while or have met me at events etc. you’ll know that diminishing the stigma
against mental health is something that I devote a lot of my time to and – in
fact – a large part of this blog. I’d completely disagree that no change has
been made to mental health stigma because there have been some huge
improvements to both people, and organisations’ attitude’s.
I think
that we’re at the point where if you were to meet someone new, and tell them
you have or have had, mental health problems, you won’t be met by an outwardly
stigmatised response. Not so long ago, people would either; one, not talk about
their mental health, and two, have the audacity to be rude and unashamedly
stigmatised, confident that so many others would support such a response. But
not anymore.
There’s
been many videos and stories do the rounds on social media about having that
exact response and it is the other person who is unsupported in their views.
Personally, I’ve only ever had two spiteful comments through my work online and
they were both when I first began blogging way back in 2013. I think that
although some may still hold a stigma against those who struggle with their
mental health, they are more reluctant to speak out in public about it. At the
end of the day, we do all have mental health; in the same way that we all have
physical health and attitudes should not change according to which a person is
poorly with.
I think
I’m one of those people who believes in the age old saying ‘treat others how
you’d like to be treat.’ It, and the thought of the responses that others are
being met with, give me the motivation to continue supporting organisations
like Time To Change who have dedicated themselves to ridding the world of
mental health stigma.
A
person should be supported (as they were in The Greatest Showman) to speak up
without being ashamed of their bumps and bruises, scars, and differences.
The
world would be a boring place if we were all the same.
Allison
Rushby, Shooting Stars