May is right around the corner, and as many of you know May is Mental Health Awareness month. This serves to show everyone around the world what an individual with a mental illness deals with on a daily basis and the obstacles that they have to go through.

They say the hardest thing to do is grieve the loss of a person that is still alive, I think they are wrong; the hardest thing to do is grieve the loss of a person who is no longer here, a person that had such a strong impact on your life. You can never hear their voice again or hug them whenever you want to. Depression, suicide, and addiction are all things that can make you lose a person that you love dearly in a matter of seconds.

We go day in and day out taking each breath we take for granted, thinking that we are guaranteed tomorrow. The thing is we are not promised anything, we are not promised that we will be here tomorrow, weeks from now, or even years from now; but there is something we can do while we still are here. We can learn to love a little harder, instead of hiding our feelings we can open up and show someone how much they mean to us. Most of all, we can stop the stigma that comes along with mental illnesses and addiction.

So many people lack the knowledge about mental illness and even addiction because they do not want to listen to what is being said. Everyone fears what they are going to hear, speaking about these two conditions makes people uncomfortable; this shouldn't be the case. Mental illness and addiction are things that many people have to deal with every single day of their lives and to see the stigmas that go along with them is heartbreaking. People tell you to just snap out of it, that you will be fine but depression doesn't work like that. This is not something that just goes way, this is something that you have to fight through for the rest of your life. A person suffering from any type of mental illness is not "crazy" or "psycho", they are dealing with the pain that fulfills their life; one that they seem to be unable to get away from.

Physically you may not see it, you may not see them breaking down; that's because they try so hard to hide it. They try to hide it from the judgmental people that surround them, society shames them into thinking that they have to go down this road alone. So many people just don't understand how serious mental illnesses are, shaming a person with a mental illness keeps them from seeking the help they truly need. As far as the stigmas tied to addiction, they're equally as bad as the ones related to mental illness. Many say "why don't you just stop then" or "you did this to yourself". Most times that's not the case. Each individual goes through their own hardships in life, you can never be certain of what they are dealing with. Sometimes the drugs give them an escape, the high makes them go numb to the pain they have been feeling. We all have succumbed to something that takes the pain away at one time or another, whether it be alcohol, taking drugs, or even self-harm. We find something that gives us a rush and that makes us lose our thoughts, and this thing will never be easy to give up unless the person finds the right help. Lose the stigmas and maybe we will lose fewer people.

For those that do not deal with these illnesses or that have never lost a person to them, you are lucky you have never had to deal with that kind of pain and suffering. It breaks your heart into a million pieces knowing that they went through this, and thought that the only way out was suicide. You question yourself every day for what you could have done differently, and you constantly blame yourself for the turn of events. It's hard losing someone in general, but it's even harder losing someone knowing that maybe something could have been done. Just because you do not have first-hand experience doesn't mean that you should sit back and watch those around you deal with these illnesses on their own.

So many of you shake in your shoes thinking about someone with suicidal thoughts reaching out to you because you're afraid that if they act on this that their blood will be on your hands. I hate to break it to you, but if you don't do something their blood will still be on your hands, and you will be filled with guilt for the rest of your life. I encourage you to reach out to someone around you, whether it be a friend, family member, or even a stranger. A few nice words can go a long way. You never know what is going on in someone else's life, so love a little harder and care a little more; you never know, your actions could be the one thing that gives them the strength to keep going.

To those struggling with a mental illness or addiction, I hope that you find the help that you need and I hope that you realize that you are not alone. There are many people that will stand with you during this tough time and the other times that may follow. I know there may be times where you just feel like giving up, but I beg you not to; look around you, look at your family and friends that surround you, they love you with all their heart and would do anything to make you happy. If anything were to happen to you, they would be devastated.

Don't be afraid to reach out for help, everyone needs help at some point in their lives. There are friends, family members, counselors, even strangers that would be more than happy to help you. I hope you never result to suicide or self-harm because nothing will be the same if you leave here. Holidays won't be the same because you aren't there, when the song you used to burst out singing to comes on the radio your friends and family will start crying because they wish they could hear you sing it one more time, your mom, dad, and siblings will somehow find their way to your room every night and will sit there thinking what they could have done differently.

When you take your own life, you end your own pain but you pass that pain on to the many other people in your life. You know how much that suffering hurts, so keep fighting because you are strong enough to overcome this; you are a survivor.

If you would like to make a difference in the world of mental illness and addiction please go to the website below and take the stigma-free pledge, and if you would like to help even more please feel free to donate to help gain more access to treatment and services, attain more substantial mental health parity, and to help fund research; don't be afraid to get involved:

https://www.nami.org/stigma