Hello Everyone!! Time for another Mindful Monday.
So often we hear the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover." or " walk a mile in someone else's shoes." In case you haven't heard these or not sure what they mean I have an explanation for you.
a metaphorical phrase that means one shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone.
before judging someone, you must understand his experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. The full idiom is: Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. In effect, it is a reminder to practice empathy.
Both phrases are a practice of empathy; both phrases remind us not to judge another; both phrases remind us that there is more going on than what you see.
As we know humans are extremely complicated beings. Granted there are a few that seem to float through life, but there is a greater portion that has so much more going on. I don't know if anyone else has done this, but see a person with a peculiar look on their face and you just wonder what is going on in their mind. I do that a lot. I love watching people, just how they go through their lives, their expressions and mannerisms. It is intriguing. Being an empath ads a unique twist, because you usually get a feeling or sensation that causes you to look around to see where it's coming from. There are those instances where you have a strong feeling turn to look, see where it is coming from yet look at the person and no one could tell there is something going on.
There are those of us that can function through just about anything. Regardless of the chaos going on inside our minds we still get up and do what needs to be done. I know some of my posts sometimes get kind of down sounding. That is because of a promise I made to myself that I would truly be myself on this platform. No pretense, game playing and so forth. If sometimes I seem like I am a roller coaster, it is because I am. It gets to be tiring living life sometimes and you just have to accept that there are down days. Again for some of us more than others.
It is a struggle many face, to go on day in and day out doing what needs to be done, when your mind is being a bully. We end up being what has been now deemed as 'high functioning.' I simple thought this is what is called life. Yet I see so many that are outwardly showing their depression, anxiety and such getting aid, disability and the like while I trudge through everyday. They don't work and I do. So yes, I get a bit bent about the whole thing. If I have the drive and determination that I have been told I have, I shouldn't have the conditions and illnesses I do. I should be in a much better position than I am. I feel like I am being punished for trying to get through life.
High functioning, what does it mean?
High-functioning depression is a pop psychology term for what’s clinically known as dysthymia.
Dysthymia, according to the “Diagnostic And Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition” (DSM 5), is a mental health disorder characterized by:
“Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, as indicated by either subjective account or observation by others, for at least two years,” and includes the presence of two or more of the following symptoms, “Poor appetite or overeating; insomnia or hypersomnia; low energy or fatigue; low self-esteem; poor concentration or difficulty making decisions; feelings of hopelessness.”
Quite a bit of a conundrum isn't it?
To be honest, I think this definition I found doesn't describe high functioning at all. It seems to explain a chronic depressive. So let's look at another.
on the outside, they often appear completely fine. They go to work, accomplish their tasks, and keep up relationships. And as they’re going through the motions to maintain their day-to-day life, inside they’re screaming.
Much better. Along with the better explanation it lists some key issues a high-functioning faces.
- You feel like you’re constantly “faking it.”
- You have to prove that you’re struggling and need help.
- The good days are relatively “normal.”
- The bad days are unbearable.
- Getting through the bad days requires an enormous amount of energy.
- You can struggle to focus, and feel like you’re not performing to the best of your ability.
- Asking for help is the strongest thing you can do.
Another saying that fits into all of this is "Fake it until you make it." Personally, I can't stand this saying. To someone who is high functioning all you do is fake it. You actually fake it until you break. It doesn't make anything better. I believe that it makes things worse.
We never know what someone else is going through. We put on blinders and only see ourselves. If we start to practice compassion more it will help people heal. There is a difference in expressing kindness and being condescending. Just like there is a difference between empathy and sympathy. Most people don't want to be pitied, they don't want to be treated differently, they just want some compassion and kindness. If you knew for a fact if just a simple smile would prevent a suicide? or opening a door for someone may make someone's day, would it change how you behave?
Brought to you by 
@quochuy (steem witness)
Thank you for your continued support!
Love,