Dear World, Can We Please Leave These Harmful Health Trends Behind in 2021?

2022 is right around the corner (like, in eight days right around the corner). 

Every year people like to sit and talk about the good, bad, ugly, and downright wild things that people have said, thought, and done throughout the year. From celebrities putting their foot in their mouths to Sia being…Sia, a lot has gone down this year. Living with health conditions can be a daily battle, and that’s not just because your own body and mind may be fighting against you, but also because of the sometimes obnoxious, ignorant, annoying, and frustrating comments, phrases, trends and mindsets from the people around us.

That being said, we asked Mighty Staff and Super Contributors what they hope will be left behind in 2021, and here’s what they had to say:

1. “‘But you don’t look sick/mentally ill/disabled!’  Please don’t invalidate our symptoms, they may be invisible, but they’re real.” – Kelly Douglas

2. “The idea that chronic pain can’t cause depression. Living with a chronic illness that primarily presents itself through physical symptoms is exhausting. And guess what? Sometimes I get depressed because of it. Let’s normalize the mental-physical health connection, please.” – Kat Harrison

3. “‘That gave me PTSD’ or ‘That triggered me’ when what they really mean is that something bothered them or disturbed them, but they don’t actually have PTSD or trauma.” – Monika Sudakov

4. “We need to abandon the popularization of using borderline personality disorder as a descriptor for characteristics. Borderline personality disorder has been popularized by social media, such as TikTok, and we need to remind ourselves that this is a serious illness, not a fad.” – Ashley Nestler

5. “‘I’m about to go on a grippy sock vacation.’ This has become a common Tik Tok joke that’s not funny unless you’re truly on the verge of a psychiatric hospitalization.” – Mel Hebert

6. “Can we please leave, ‘We need to pivot’ in 2021? I’m truly tired of having to constantly be adaptable.” – Sinclair P. Ceasar III

The new year is a perfect time for new resolutions, so now we can leave these things behind in 2021 for good…or so we hope.

What would you add to this list? Comment below and share with us.