confused

i am glad that mental health concerns are being normalized in our culture. everyone struggles with their mental health sometimes, even if not everyone has a serious diagnosed condition.

one thing i'm confused about though, is there a difference between an unhealthy person and someone with mental illness. i'm certain i have known people in life who are self-destructive, and they make a negative impact on the lives of the people around them. i have learned to be guarded with such people. i have lost friendships when the toxicity just became too much for me to manage.

so i get confused by these ads that i see that compares mental health with physical illnesses. with the message that you would never ditch someone for having diarrhea, and mental illness is just as real. true. but does everything fit under the mental illness umbrella? where's the line between mental illness and someone making destructive choices. are we supposed to endure everything others dish out? because mental and emotional problems impact others in a much different way than physical illness. and it can take its tole on relationships.

truth be told. i really don't know. i want to be loving all the time, but find sometimes i get burned.