Memes are an omnipresent form of communication in today's online world. They can range from funny and light-hearted to political and controversial. Occasionally, memes may tackle more serious topics related to mental health or overall well-being in a humorous way. While some find these images relatable and helpful in coping with difficult emotions, others might have concerns about the potential harm they could cause. To delve deeper into this topic, Bored Panda reached out to Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., psychologist and creator of MentalDrive - an Instagram psychological well-being initiative providing daily tips, strategies and affirmations to help people gain access to the best in class psychological and performance tools to live healthier, more fulfilled and successful lives.

Memes have become a common way for people to express themselves and communicate online. However, as memes that delve into personal struggles have grown in popularity, concerns about their potential risks have been raised. According to J. Klapow, context is everything. “Memes put out to the ‘world’ are subject to so many varied interpretations. For some, there may be a feeling of validation on a more humorous or absurd level. And in that way memes can be helpful for normalizing, even making humor of intense negative emotions. However, those same memes can be seen as offensive, heartless, and even triggering negative emotions in some people. And thus the challenge here is that a meme that is presented to the world can be both helpful for some and quite harmful for others. I do not believe it is worth the risk.”

Mental health is an essential component of overall well-being, yet it is often overlooked. Despite this, recognizing when to seek professional help is crucial in addressing mental health issues. J. Klapow explained that mental health symptoms are unique in some ways, but much like physical symptoms, their severity is determined by the distress they are causing and the disruption they are having in an individual’s ability to perform their normal daily functions. “If mental health symptoms of any kind are keeping a person from interacting with others, going to school, working, being in relationships, feeling safe, and the like, it is very important to seek care. When these symptoms are keeping you from doing what you want to do in life, it’s time to seek help.”

The stigma surrounding mental health struggles can prevent people from seeking the help they need, as they may feel like they are the only ones experiencing these issues. Therefore, we got curious about whether the use of memes and other forms of popular culture could encourage more people to seek help. According to J. Klapow, memes can serve to normalize mental health conditions, in the sense that they can show people that they are not alone. “Informative conversations, willingness to share stories, discussion of the impact of the conditions and how getting help can help. All of these are critical societal dialogues that are necessary to break down the stigmas and reduce the negative connotation of mental health conditions. Memes are but one component of this larger disclosure among the public about the commonality of mental health issues.”

Stress and anxiety are common experiences in today's fast-paced world, and they can have a significant impact on our mental and physical health. While it's impossible to eliminate stress and anxiety altogether, we got curious whether there are some effective coping strategies that can help manage these feelings. “The biggest challenge of stress and anxiety is that they exist in the mind and the body,” J. Klapow shared. “They have an impact on our autonomic nervous system and thus cause both physical symptoms (increased heart rate, muscle tension, GI distress, sweating, etc.) as well as feelings of distress.

Managing our physiology and reregulating it through recalibrating breathing, removing ourselves from a stressful situation, and learning how to slow our physiology down, are all critical ways to manage stress and anxiety. Cognitively we need to absolutely answer the question ‘what am I anxious about, what am I stressed about?’—Stress and anxiety have a way of sticking to everything we experience. Until we can label what we are stressed/anxious about, the stress and anxiety will grow and grow. As soon as we are able to identify the source of the anxiety/stress, it becomes much more manageable and far less global.”

Despite growing awareness and understanding of mental health, there are still many common misconceptions and myths that persist. According to J. Klapow, mental health is seen as an illness that only impacts a small percentage of the population, which is not true. “In fact, the prevalence of mental health issues combined is as common as heart disease. Mental health issues are only for the illest, ‘crazy’ people. Not the case at all. Nearly 20% of the population will suffer from depression or anxiety at some point. It is common and prevalent but just not discussed. Mental health is not a weakness. Having diabetes or heart disease is not seen as a weakness. Mental health conditions are the same. The weakness comes from not addressing them.”

Therapy can be a valuable tool for people struggling with mental health issues. However, some individuals may be resistant to seeking counseling, whether due to stigma or a lack of understanding of the benefits of therapy. How could we encourage the ones we care about to ask for help? J. Klapow has some advice: “be willing to listen to them and allow them to talk with you. You do not have to be a therapist, but you can be a good listener. Don’t force therapy. Don’t push. Allow them to ease their way into readiness. Let them know that their suffering doesn’t have to be this way, and just like any other health condition, mental health conditions are extremely treatable. Let them know that you or others they may know have benefited from therapy. Ask them to give it a try. No commitments, just a try.”