Today, on the last day of PRIDE month, it dawned on me….how do I (and other mental illness sufferers) get a PRIDE thing of our own? I want to feel safe to come out too.
I spent an hour writing four paragraphs of how we can’t come out and then I deleted them. What I had written is not necessary because we know the truth of having to live with a mood disorder. The constant spread of misinformation in this society keeps us scared and hidden.
I think our word would have to be different entirely, because I do not feel proud. I don’t know how I could. It would be like feeling proud living with diabetes or heart disease. Both, by the way, have a huge impact on health, but no stigma.
Here is what I came up with:
RESILIENCE Month – boring
BRAVE Month – boring
GRIT Month – I like this one, but it’s got a “mechanic feel” that doesn’t feel right.
COMPASSION Month – Could refer to anything.
I needed help coming up with more words for our very own PRIDE month so, of course, I searched Google hoping that maybe AI could come up with something better.
This one sentence below says more than I could have said in a thousand paragraphs .
anincidentallife.com 
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