Tw- ableism, food, health
Every time I see something on my dash about “living healthier” it makes me bristle. In order for me to live healthier I’d have to somehow magically make several illnesses/ diseases disappear from my body. I can’t fix them by eating certain foods, although one of my diseases does mean I have to “be compliant” with certain dietary restrictions. Compliance doesn’t mean I don’t have diabetes.
And why does “health” seem to come down solely to food and exercise? What about my mental illnesses? I can’t walk them off. Especially right now with a broken ankle. I can’t bike my way out of having Graves disease, nor can I eat whatever magical vegetable supposedly helps thyroids like people try to advise me (without consent!)
“Health” is profoundly ableist, classist, racist, and sizeist. I’m just doing the best I can to fucking survive in this body right now.
This, all of this! A million times, this!!!
The fact that there are many sides to health and only one side is universally acknowledged is perpetually frustrating as well as harmful.
I lived without treatment for my anxiety/depression to a critical point in my life. Why did it get to that critical point? Because all I heard when I sought help from the people around me was, “Just do some yoga, eat better, learn a few breathing exercises maybe! It’ll all go away!” or “Oh yeah, I get really anxious/depressed sometimes too, I know how that is.”
When in reality, actually, no - if you don’t have to deal with it every day to a point where it significantly disrupts your life, your health, your school work, and your relationships, you actually DON’T know how it is.
But hearing all of these things clouded my judgement and I delayed seeking help. Instead I blamed myself for not being able to “pull myself” out of it.
Mental health is fucking important. For me, not focusing on it in my pursuit of health and personal wellness would be monumentally damaging, so it becomes a priority - and while “healthy living” may help, it is not an absolute fucking solution, nor is it always practical.
I have been thinking about this a lot, all the time ever really, I can’t really get away from it, so yeah. Thank you.
