Why Your Struggles Make Perfect Sense
Have you ever felt “broken” for having anxiety in an anxiety-provoking world? Or wondered why you can’t just think positively when your basic needs aren’t being met?
If so, you’re not alone. Your struggles are not a sign of brokenness, but a normal response to the challenges of our world.
Your struggles make perfect sense when we understand the connections between structural violence and mental health. As a therapist who sees this daily, I want to help you understand why your reactions are normal responses to very real problems.
What Is Structural Violence?
Structural violence happens when social and economic systems prevent people from meeting basic needs. It’s called violence because it harms people. It’s “structural” because it’s built into how society works.
Think of it this way: If someone hits you, that’s direct violence. If the system makes it so you can’t afford healthcare or housing while working full-time, that’s structural violence. Both cause real harm.
Here’s what structural violence looks like:
- Housing costs that eat up most of your paycheck
- Healthcare that’s too expensive to use
- Jobs that don’t pay enough to live on
- Student debt that follows you for decades
- Workplaces that demand more for less
How Systems Make You Sick
Housing Stress and Anxiety
When you spend half your income on rent or one paycheck from losing your home, your brain stays on high alert. That anxiety isn’t a disorder. It’s your brain doing its job by watching for real danger.
Studies show that housing problems directly cause anxiety and depression. Your racing thoughts about rent at 3 AM aren’t “bad thinking.” They’re realistic worries about a real threat.
Healthcare Barriers and Depression
When you’re sick but can’t afford treatment, hopelessness makes sense. When insurance companies say no to the care you need, or when you choose between medicine and food, feeling defeated is normal.
I’ve seen this with clients who lost Medicaid coverage recently. Their depression wasn’t because therapy failed. It was a normal reaction to losing essential support without warning.
Money Stress and Mental Health
Living paycheck to paycheck keeps your body stressed all the time. When survival feels uncertain, it’s hard to think clearly, manage emotions, or plan.
This isn’t a personal failing. It’s how humans respond when basic needs aren’t secure.
Stop Blaming Yourself
Traditional therapy often focuses only on changing thoughts or behaviors. It asks people to adapt to harmful situations instead of recognizing that the situations are the problem.
Individual skills can help, but they’re not enough when the real issue is systemic. It’s like telling someone to breathe deeply while the building burns down. The breathing helps a little, but we need to put out the fire.
This is where critical consciousness helps. It means:
- Seeing how social conditions affect your mental health
- Understanding that your struggles often make sense given your situation
- Moving from self-blame to seeing the bigger picture
- Connecting your challenges to patterns others face too
How This Connects to My Therapy Approach
In my work with psychedelic therapy and harm reduction, I see how powerful it is when people understand their experiences in context. Psychedelic experiences often show us how individual healing connects to community healing.
When someone has a challenging psychedelic experience, we don’t just look at their personal issues. We also consider:
- Whether they felt safe and supported
- What outside stress was happening in their life
- How society’s messages about drugs and mental health affected them
The same applies to everyday mental health. Individual healing works best when we also address the structural factors that create suffering.
Practical Ways to Cope with Structural Stress
While we work for bigger changes, here are ways to care for yourself now:
Practice Structural Self-Compassion
When asking “What’s wrong with me?”, also ask “What’s wrong with this situation?”. Your feelings make sense.
Build Community
Connect with others who get these struggles. Look for mutual aid groups, community organizations, or political parties that understand systemic issues.
Prepare for Hard Times
Research local resources for housing help, healthcare access, and food security before you need them. Having this info reduces panic during crisis.
Get Involved at Your Own Pace
Community organizing can be empowering, but it’s not required for healing. Do what feels right for your mental health.
When to Seek Support
You might benefit from structurally-aware therapy if you:
- Feel like you’re failing despite doing everything right
- Feel shame about money stress or housing problems
- Feel alone in struggling with frustrating systems
- Want to understand how social conditions affect your mental health
- Are curious about how individual and community healing connect
A Different Kind of Therapy
In my practice, we explore how your personal story connects with social and economic realities. We don’t ignore individual factors like trauma history or relationship patterns. But we also don’t pretend therapy happens in a bubble.
Many clients find it validating to understand their anxiety in the context of housing insecurity. Or to see their depression as connected to healthcare barriers, not personal failure. This awareness often reduces shame and opens new possibilities for coping and action.
Moving Forward
Your struggles make sense. Your reactions are normal. The systems that create these problems need to change, not you.
Individual therapy provides valuable tools and support, but is not the only path to healing. Lasting mental health also requires community, security, and systems that actually serve human needs. Community support can provide a sense of belonging, validation, and shared understanding. Both individual healing and group action matter. They make each other stronger.
If you’re looking for therapy that recognizes these realities while supporting your personal healing, I’d be honored to work with you. Together, we can explore how your experiences connect to bigger patterns, develop practical coping strategies, and find your sources of strength.
You’re not broken. You’re human, living in a world that often fails to support human well-being. That awareness is the first step toward something better.