Mental health as defined by Merriam-Webster is "the condition of being sound mentally and emotionally that is characterized by the absence of mental illness and by adequate adjustment especially as reflected in feeling comfortable about oneself, positive feelings about others, and the ability to meet the demands of daily life." Everyone has mental health along with their physical health, and both run in conjunction with each other. If you have poor mental health, it's going to reflect on your body and make you feel fatigue, experience weight loss, have headaches, feel nausea, be irritable, and many feel other negative symptoms. Poor mental health can also develop into a mental illness such as depression and anxiety, if left unchecked and untreated. I struggle with a mental illness everyday, and something I find solace and escape from it is rock music. Rock, as probably any other genre as well, is stereotypically wrapped up in a fantasy that glamorizes and romanticizes substance abuse, addiction, and poor mental & physical health. It's all too easy to fall into it, to want to live in some rockstar's fantasy world. But you need to remember that it's a fantasy and your actions have consequences. You need to take care of yourself and choose the safer and healthier options, even if doing so is the hard choice, it's always the right choice.
Anyone who's into rock probably has an idol who's passed from suicide. Kurt Cobain. Chris Cornell. It hurts, even if you've never met them. You've also probably heard of The 27 Club as well. Amy Winehouse. Jimi Hendrix. Substance abuse and addiction is all too common in rock scenes, and mental illness (such as depression) runs hand-in-hand with it. I don't have any answers to these things, I'm not a physiatrist or a therapist. I only know what I've learned through my own life experience, through living with a mental illness - bipolar disorder - for many years. What I've learned from it is that you have to find a reason everyday to keep going, to keep fighting. Every single day, one reason, no matter how small. It could be the ladybug you saw on your way home, it could be the decision to wake up early and make tea the next day, it could be waiting for your favorite band's next release. One reason to pull yourself together, to stop crying and go to sleep. One reason to keep fighting to feel better, to overcome your mental illness or just your bad day. One reason to choose the healthier option over the bad one. It's not all you need, but it's the beginning.
Taking things month-by-month, week-by-week, hour-by-hour and even second-by-second is sometimes what we need to do. If 2020 has taught all of us collectively anything, it's you can't plan out your life and expect it go 100% according to plan, because it won't, and that's okay. Humans are flexible and resilient, whatever you feel isn't forever. You can heal and pick yourself back up over and over again, you have this strength inside of you. Taking care of your mental health is defined by the simplest of things: eating healthy food, getting sleep, drinking water, and exercising. It might be daunting to start at first, to choose healthy behaviors over negative ones, but taking that first step is all you need to do. Learning how to express & understand your feelings is something that helps immensely as well; for yourself and for your loved ones.
Rock is something I love so deeply, and we're in 2020, not 1979. We can and should leave behaviors behind that hurt us and create a new rock culture, one that prioritizes and supports being healthy, in both the mental and physical ways. Take care of yourself and take care of others. Wear a mask and take vitamins. De-stress every week. If you feel bad, if you're feeling unwell, seek out professional help (if it's accessible for you). Learn how to be honest and communicate your feelings in healthy and emotionally mature ways. This year has been tough for all of us everywhere, definitely made worse with the lack of live music, but it won't be forever. Live music will return, and in the meantime, it'll be more than worth it to focus on self-care and feeling well. The music thrives when we do, so don't be afraid to seek help for your mental health. It's okay to not feel okay, but know it's not forever.
Resources for mental health help:
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