We live in a world where mental health illnesses have a history of being shamed upon, where we are outed for expressing our own opinions, and where we literally live under the surveillance of everyone 24/7. The world is like a metropolitan area, such as New York City. There are people buzzing about everywhere, trying to compete for everything. No one wants to be wrong. But everyone tries to be the one that's right. It is as if we are on a hamster wheel and if we get off, our legs just won't let us go back on. Having always been the type of person to bottle things up, I never knew that it was "okay" to not be okay. My parents always told me that I had to be tough skinned and not take things too personally. Well that worked, but it was still difficult to not get hurt emotionally and eventually feel drained of the blockage that I have been bottling up with a cork that is about to wear off.

People say, "The world can be a nasty place" and I disagree, but also at the same time agree with that statement. The world is nasty in that we are forced to be someone we are not and not conforming with society's expectations can put us in deep peril. However, the world is a learning experience for us to try and see how to protect ourselves and our minds. As well as to be shrewd and knowledgeable of human nature. Although we can't always be a "people pleaser" (and we certainly shouldn't), we are told to make sure to stay docile to the standards society has made for us. One of those standards includes keeping quiet about mental health. If I asked my grandparents about what their generation said about mental health, there would be disagreements and confusion in my brain. I am positive that if they were my age and struggling with their mental health and asked for help, they would be told that they have a "problem" or that they have to work on it on their own. Unfortunately, this type of mentality does still exist amongst people today and is the reason why it has become so difficult for people to just be "raw" about their feelings and emotions.

After being in treatment for a short while, I realized that all these patients need is a little love and understanding (as cheesy as that may sound). They don't need force put on them to restrain them. They just need a simple pat on the shoulder and someone to listen to their story. What I realized about being in a room filled with other mental health patients is that, no one is afraid to share their story. This is the type of thing that needs to happen in the real world out there. We can't be afraid to speak out about our own journey with our mental health and what all the painstaking experiences has taught us. We can't just run away the moment we are asked to give a speech. We have to stand tall and deliver what's in our mind. And, I can assure anyone that I have heard countless numbers of these "speeches" when I was with other patients also suffering from their mental health.