The Superpowers of Mental Illnesses

In society today, a movement has arisen encouraging an open conversation about mental illness. People have tried to combat mental health issues by formulating a culture of understanding and acceptance. However, those who continue to focus on mental illnesses as weaknesses instead of curable illnesses, perpetuate the stigma that can make the lives of the mentally ill unbearable.  

But what if mental disorders actually gave their hosts superpowers those without mental illnesses won’t ever possess to the same degree. They are superpowers that arise from combatting unique barriers every day. 

This article is by no means meant to romanticize mental illness. However, it instead intends to shed light on the strengths of those with mental disorders, and the ways mental illnesses can be turned into superpowers. After all, those with mental disorders grow in ways that those without mental illnesses couldn’t possibly understand. 

Superpower #1: Super Strength 

Waking up with a mental illness can sometimes make it difficult to get out of bed and get going, yet so many with mental illnesses do this every single day. That is why so many mental illnesses are invisible. Nonetheless, the ability to find this motivation, or even force oneself to get ready for the day, shows that people with mental illnesses have a great deal of strength. It is true that a lot of people have some better mental health days than others, where less strength is required. But regardless, the ability to stay strong and keep on keeping on, shows that anyone with a mental illness has a great deal of strength. 

Superpower #2: Empathy 

Struggling with a mental illness is no easy feat. The emotional ups and downs are painful, challenging, and draining. But if one thing is true in life, it is that going through a struggle not only makes someone stronger,  it also can make someone more understanding. Those with mental illness can relate to others going through similar struggles or even those just dealing with day to day life. Wanting to be understood also can motivate someone to be more understanding. It is no surprise then, that empathy is a superpower of mental illnesses. 

Superpower #3: Resilience 

Though those with mental disorders may often feel exhausted and feel like giving up, they have survived 100% of the days they have lived. If the trials of day-to-day life aren’t hard enough without a mental illness, imagine dealing with day-to-day life with the added weight of mental health issues. There is no doubt that to deal with getting knocked down so brutally, anyone with a mental illness has to have a h*ll of a lot of resilience. Don’t ever underestimate anyone with a mental disorder. They recover quickly from a lot more than you know 

• mental health