Mental health has always been a topic that many feel has a "blurred line." What classifies a mental illness, how to treat one, and how to live with one are controversial conversations that often have mixed opinions. One of the most seen mental illnesses is depression, and there is really no one way to explain and diagnose a remedy to any of those categories to someone suffering from it.

As someone who has suffered from depression personally, I can attest to the fact that it sometimes makes you feel like you're at a disadvantage. You feel like you can't complete simple tasks throughout the day, interact with other people, or even leave your bed. Sometimes the pain and loneliness are so bad your whole body goes numb. Other times, you distance yourself so far from your family and friends that you haven't seen anyone in a few days.

Now in this article, I don't want to come across as saying that depression doesn't screw with your life in multiple ways. It does, and it sucks. All I'm trying to relay is that overcoming it and learning your bodies ways of handling it can help you, and those traits carry over into other aspects of life. What I have come to learn is that by pushing myself and persevering through my internal struggles it made even the worse days seem a little bit easier.

Now for every individual that has suffered or is suffering from a mental illness, the way you go about dealing with and maintaining your state of mind varies. Some people find that medication helps them, others go through therapy and counseling. And then you have the people, like me, who take it day by day with the help of the people around them. Although the strategies range, the common goal is the same. People want to feel better, they want to be able to be involved in things in the outside world and feel the same feelings of happiness and joy as everyone else. The tools and strength used to get to a place where you feel content, are the ones that end up giving you some extra help.

The strength that it takes to get up every day and fight to have a "normal" day is something that people should not underestimate. Having that strength allows you to carry that over to easier things in life and only make them better. When the time comes for something difficult, you are that much better equipped to handle it. You're able to read when your body has had enough and ultimately learn how to balance life better. Being able to prioritize your life in such a way where you avoid self-induced conflicts and stressors comes much easier because you're used to doing it with your mental health.

Never be embarrassed about your mental health, own it and show the world how you overcome it every day, every second.