Normal is overrated

As a member of a number of forums and help sites one word I come across a lot is the word “normal”. But it is usually associated with a feeling that because we have any sort of anxiety, be it social anxiety, panic attacks, health anxiety, GAD, OCD, the list can go on and on, then we are not normal. The Oxford dictionary defines "normal" as something usual, typical, or conforming to a standard. 

According to research there an estimated 301 million people worldwide suffer with anxiety.

And overall approximately 1 billion who suffer with some form of mental health issues. 

And that doesn't include all those who suffer in silence for fear of judgment because they may worry about being judged or misunderstood, leading them to keep their experiences private and simply suffering in silence.

The path that may have led us to our pain will differ for all of us but the consequences are precisely the same. Those feelings of being alone, the constant worrying, always waiting for the other shoe to drop, imagining the worst possible outcome, that we don't deserve to be happy or even fearing that happiness makes us more vulnerable and so the pain when something goes wrong would be even greater. 

As I said before the Oxford dictionary states normal is something usual, typical, or conforming to a standard. The fact that mental health is a recognized health condition and in the UK alone is an industry estimated to be worth nearly £15 billion does this not make us our own version of normal.

We all possess unique qualities, but this diversity doesn't mean we aren't normal. Each of us is on our own journey and we will all find our own path at our own pace when we are ready.

My sunshine moment today celebrates that diversity. As a child, my daughter used to love to sing, anytime, anywhere. So for me it became the norm to hear her singing a song she had learnt from pre-school or even a nursery rhyme. When she was little we were on holiday at the seaside and one day we took a train into the main town. There were a lot of passengers on the train but we managed to get a seat at the front facing forward. Everyone was keeping to themselves and speaking in hushed tones. Once we were settled in our seats my daughter was soon singing away. As I was so used to this I sat back and enjoyed listening to her while looking out at the scenery in front of me. So imagine my surprise when as soon as she had finished there was a round of applause from all the passengers behind us and when I turned around all I saw was lots of smiling faces. So my view of normal may have been different from others on the train, but that didn't matter, and just maybe it would inspire some of them to let out their own quirks or individual traits. 

 Thanks for reading. Take care and a virtual hug to you all.