The State of Mental Health (aka The Royal and their subject)
It took one episode to dissolve what was once a subject observing a royal to just a pair of humans with their own flaws and idiosyncrasies.
As I’ve gotten older, I have become more in favour of being a republic than under our current monarchy, even though I thought the next in line to the throne would drag things into the 21st century as a last gasp.
However I digress…I watched the first episode of The Me You Can’t See documentary series on Apple TV last night where Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and a section of people discuss their struggles with mental health. Seeing Prince Harry discuss the weight of losing his mother and how much of a dent it left in his mental health, it felt like he finally shed his royal layer of immortality.
As much as I have discussed my own personal mental health, the whole world is entering into awareness of how fragile and important mental health is as we slowly emerge from the pandemic. The biggest example being that although video calls might work for business contacts, actually touching flesh and blood people has more of a positive holistic effect.
It also sheds light on unhealthy practices, such as Harry talking about binge drinking on one day just to block out the high levels of anxiety of being in the public eye. On the contrary, in another episode Harry getting treatment (specifically EMDR) to help deal with his anxiety directly.
The biggest take away from all of this is we all need help with mental health and wellness. Be it therapy through talking or other techniques, or through people like myself when you’re looking to bring your life into shape for now and the future.
Its not easy work, but its good work. Work that sets you on a path that only you can take, with focus and care.
Until next time folks…
…#HangTight
Aquila Hope is a holistic coach, black trans activist, speaker, podcaster and songwriter. They’re found through Instagram, Twitter, Medium and their own website. Their podcast ‘Grasp At The Root’ can be found on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are distributed. Aquila lives on the outskirts of Birmingham, enjoys expressionist art, video games, strong coffee and a well made pizza.
