FEELINGS DO NOT MATTER.

they are valid.

Rejecting and treating someone's feelings like it is wrong to feel that way can affect someone in many ways possible.Emotional invalidation has been going on as far as we can remember, yet it was left unattended before. Fortunately, now that we live in the 21st century, the generation Z has paid more attention to different mental health issues including the invalidation of emotions and the stigma when it comes to mental health. There are lot of reasons why someone can be invalidated, but there are more reason to stop this unhealthy way of responding to someone's feelings.We value different emotions and people themselves. Together with our advocacy, we are eager to promote and wake up people— that feelings DO matter and should be given attention.

EVERYONE ARE POSSIBLE TO BE INVALIDATED.

Even children are victims of this toxic response at a young age. They become more sensitive to emotions and react more strongly to it. Since they are more vulnerable, if what they feel are not given proper attention, this could result to problems in the future.Commonly, parents always have big hopes for their children. But sometimes, their children can't reach the parents' expectations and when it comes to the point where sadly, the parents start to question their children if they are doing their best, it often leads to invalidation. 'Why are you crying? It seems like you're weak.' Even if they said this out of concern and to motivate the child, they are most likely to take it the opposite way.And when the child has realized that crying or showing their emotion is a sign of weakness, they will try to hide it and act like everything's okay. And this is where the problem starts.Additionally, according to an article from verywellmind.com, most people who has BPD (borderline personality disorder) experienced emotional invalidation back in their childhood.Invalidation of feelings is a form of emotional abuse. One might not see the signs, but we know that words create the biggest impact and can even affect someone in the long run. A person who invalidates someone's feelings doesn't value what they feel. If this happens almost everytime, the person invalidated will think that it'd be much better to hide what they feel‐ thus leads to someone with more emotional issues untreated. They will be more hideous, avoiding to seek help and keep their problems and emotions to theirselves.

WATCH OUT FOR THE EFFECTS !

They will be emotionally dismissive and treat their own emotions as weak and humiliating, when in truth, it is part of being a human to experience different emotions. A single word can shatter one's thoughts and feelings, especially when they've experienced enough invalidation from the past. It could affect them physically, psychologically, mentally and emotionally. They might start to act differently and even gaslight what they're currently feeling and treat their self as unimportant.Emotional invalidation, if not treated immediately, could become a reason for someone to develop mental illnesses like anxiety or depression. A person that is invalidated for multiple times is most likely to be reluctant about their feelings.

STIGMA, on the other hand, is the act of viewing someone in a negative way just because they have an illness or a mental disorder. This is still related to emotional invalidation because someone who relies and joins the stigma towards mental health is discriminating someone's feelings and state of emotion like they're equated to their illness.

The common reason why stigma happens is because of the stereotypes. Someone who is stereotyping thinks that a person who has a mental illness is dangerous and should be avoided. The World Health Organization stated that stigma can affect someone's self esteem, disrupt family relationships and even limit their ability to socialize. As we can see, this needs to be stopped.

"Mental illness matters just as much as any disease, and it can take one’s life as easily as any other."

What can YOU do to help?
We are humans so we are most likely to make mistakes. However, validating someone doesn't mean that you have to agree with them. Even if you don't agree to someone, you can atleast emphatize with their feelings. To emphatize is to put yourself to someone's shoes, and by doing that, you can understand what they're feeling and be more careful of your words.

YOU CAN CALL OUT SOMEONE who invalidates. It is never wrong to educate people. Raising awareness can atleast help in decreasing the effects caused by emotional invalidation and mental illnesses.

Acknowledge their emotion. Assure them that you hear them and tell them that it is valid and okay to feel that way.

And to those who are suffering and is a victim of emotional invalidation, remember that what you're feeling is valid. Emotional and mental health problems are not a sign of weakness. Learn to embrace what you are and your feelings— you are not equated to your emotional problems, or even mental illnesses. Talk openly, and seek help. It is never wrong to feel sad or to be hurt about something.You don't have to fight it alone. You are not alone. Ask for help because there are still people who cares.

"It's okay not to be okay."

Together, let's support everyone and do what we can and what we're supposed to do: End the stigma and stop emotional invalidation. There is still hope for the world, because all feelings are VALID.