“What if people judge me for taking arm floaties?” Well, those people don’t care if you live or die. 

Coming to terms with a diagnosis for mental illness is a complex and serious feat. For Taylor Tomlinson, receiving a diagnosis for Bipolar disorder forced her to reevaluate her mental health and make it a priority. Tomlinson is a young American comedian who has released two very popular Netflix stand-up specials, where she explores several themes such as mental health, personal relationships, and self discovery. 

In her latest special Look at You, she performs a monologue comparing “arm-floaties” to psychotropic medication. In her humorous and compelling performance she explains how not knowing how to swim can be a metaphor for being bipolar; it might be embarrassing and one may face barriers when going certain places. However, your arm floaties “give you the freedom to go wherever you want”. What is compelling is how she doesn’t shy away from explaining the importance of taking accountability for mental health and subsequent actions;

“You have to take your arm floaties, because it’s not cool to know you can’t swim, go to the public pool anyway, and jump into the deep end making it everyone else’s problem”

Tomlinson uses humour to explain complex issues in a digestible and easily understandable manner. She sheds light on the numerous consequences of mental illness and uses her platform to empower those suffering. 

You can watch Taylor Tomlinson’s “Arm Floaties” Monologue here.

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Bogomil Mihaylov, On Unsplash, Creative Commons