More Good Days Together 🫂

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Last night again, I wanted to disappear, to stop existing, to just be unconscious of anything and everything, I could feel the wave of depression coming.

Before last night, I had been better, better for a few months. I hadn't contemplated suicide in months. I haven't been so overwhelmed that I have to write dark poetry to soothe myself. And I had almost forgotten that I live with depression.

But anxiety? Oh, she never goes away. She's always there to remind me of conversations and public speaking that I did many years ago and how I would have done better, making me shrink and hate those moments that other people even love and appreciate.

Excerpts from My life as a 24 year old living with depression and anxiety in Nigeria by Chidera Ochuagu, Medium

Click here to finish her story

“Smiling and Struggling”

You’ve probably heard the phrase before but for many people, it isn’t just a phrase, it’s reality.

A living nightmare consuming our generation so much, we hardly perceive it as abnormal anymore.

In university, amidst the burnout, we all laugh while we're secretly exhausted, it's the most normal thing to do, who cares anyways?

“Na everybody dey go through am”, “It's all of us”

Oh, how I hate hearing those words after I open up.

In conversations, the most normal answer to the question “How are you?” requires no effort at all - I'm fine, you?

It's automatic , it's often a lie.

Big 2026 and many people still reduce mental health struggles to “madness.”.

The ignorance is loud, the misunderstanding is dangerous, the consequences are heartbreaking.

How exactly do we fight this?

Well, You can't fight what you don't know, which leads me to my next section, What is Mental health?

Mental Health: The Difference Between Struggling and Being Diagnosed

Mental health is not something only sick people have. It is something every human being has.

Mental Health is the emotional, psychological and social well being that dictates how you think, feel or act. It directly influences your choices, your relationships and your ability to handle stress.

Your mental health is the state of your inner world and just like physical health, it can fluctuate.

Some days, your mental health may be stable and healthy. Other times, stress, trauma, grief, burnout, loneliness, academic pressure, financial struggles, or even life itself can negatively affect it.

One of the biggest misconceptions about mental health is the idea that every emotional struggle automatically means mental illness.

It doesn’t.

Mental Illness also known as Mental Health Disorders refers to a wide range of mental health conditions that affect mood, thinking and behavior. Common examples include Depression, PTSD, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Eating disorders and Addictive behaviors.

These conditions are not simply “bad moods” or “lack of faith” as many people wrongly assume. They are real diagnosable health conditions that deserve understanding, support, and proper care.

There is a huge difference between experiencing poor mental health and living with a diagnosed mental illness, although one can sometimes lead to the other if ignored for long enough.

Basically, poor mental health can happen to anyone. You may feel persistently stressed, anxious, emotionally numb, withdrawn, or exhausted without necessarily meeting the criteria for a mental illness diagnosis.

Just have to put that out there.

Some of These Signs Have Become Too Normal

A huge part of the problem is that many of us only take mental health seriously when someone visibly “breaks down” but this struggle is hardly ever dramatic.

Sometimes it simply looks like:

• Constantly feeling tired

• Losing motivation

• Withdrawing from people

• Overthinking every little thing

• Struggling to feel joy

• Functioning physically while feeling emotionally numb

Now, these struggles are so normalized in our society, many people continue suffering silently without realizing that their mental health is deteriorating.

We have a quiet depression culture in Nigeria that makes it all the more harder to tell when you're past your breaking point because everyone seems to be dealing with the same circumstances just fine.

A facade.

Putting survival before emotional well-being is what has many falling prey to poor mental health.

(Watch my video on Nigeria's Quiet Depression Culture here)

How to Care for Your Mental Health

One thing many people misunderstand about mental health care is the idea that healing must always be dramatic, expensive, or perfect before it counts. It doesn’t.

Caring for your mental health is often found in small, proactive and consistent actions repeated over time.

1. Talk to Someone You Trust

Keeping everything inside may feel easier at first, but isolation often makes emotional struggles heavier. It's not every time you're asked How are you? that your answer should be the automatic “I'm fine”, be honest and open sometimes. It goes a long way.

2. Rest Without Feeling Guilty

Burnout is not a badge of honor guys.

Your mind and body both require recovery. If we are not working, studying, hustling, or achieving something, we feel lazy. Rest is not Laziness.

3. Build Small Healthy Routines

Mental health can feel overwhelming, especially when life already feels chaotic. That is why small stable repeated routines matter.

Simple things like sleeping earlier, drinking enough water, eating proper meals, going outside, taking short walks and reducing doom scrolling

can genuinely improve your emotional wellbeing over time.

4. Stop Romanticizing Suffering

Our generation often jokes about stress, sleep deprivation, emotional exhaustion, and even depression so casually that we forget these things are serious. “Not every break down is relatable content”

Some things truly require care and attention.

5. Seek Professional Help If You Need It

There is strength in recognizing when something is beyond what you can handle alone. Needing support does not make you broken.

It makes you human.

6. Learn to Be Kinder to Yourself

A lot of people are mentally exhausted not only because life is hard, but because their inner voice is cruel. Try saying Hey me, we're doing great, we got this, it's going to be okay. Right now, yes good job!

There is no quick fix for emotional wellbeing, healing takes time and effort.

For the Person Reading This…❤️

Maybe nobody has asked you this in a while, but genuinely… how are you?

I would love to listen to how you are in the comments.

If there is a version of you is struggling right now, I want you to know this:

You are not weak for feeling exhausted.

You are not dramatic for feeling overwhelmed.

You are not “ungrateful” for admitting that life has been heavy lately.

You are a human being before you are productive, before you are useful, before you are strong for everyone else.

Please rest when you need to.

Please ask for help when things become too heavy.

Please stop treating yourself like a machine that only deserves care after breaking down.

Please stop smiling and struggling, let's have more good days together❤️

Thank you so much for reading,

This is close to my heart and awareness is power❤️‍🩹

Images from Pinterest📌

Written by Lawal Joanna Temidun (JoJo Talks Med) in commemoration of Mental Health Awareness Month🫂

P:S

I'm really open to hearing your views so if you have anything you want to share about mental health anonymously, please click the link🔗

It could be personal, or just words of encouragement for everyone out there or just a question you'd like to ask, anything at all is welcome❤️

Responses would be well curated and posted at the end of this campaign✨