There are many things, we, as people, forget to remember and take for granted. Have you ever sat back and thought about what really matters to the core of living your life? Not only to pass by and survive, but to actually live. Mental health and loving yourself unconditionally is something everyone knows is important, but doesn't necessarily strive to maintain- no one deeply understands how very important it is.

I'm sure the first initial thought when people consider what "good mental health" means, is that if you're not in a mental institute- you're good! Right? Not quite. To me, having sincerely good mental health means that you have structure. You're in control, you know what's going on, and essentially, you're swaying in waters. Not everyone has everything together, or is on top of everything in their life, and that's okay. Despite the fact that OCD is a mental condition, having a healthy mental does not just mean OCD- it's okay to be flustered or unorganized at times. Your head does not have to always be above waters. But it does have to be positive. Being positive and optimistic is almost a necessity when it comes to a good mental health. Negativity normally tends to have a domino effect on people, where once they start getting themselves in a dark, hateful place, it only accelerates deeper and leaves you digging a deeper hole in the pits of unhappiness- which brings us to inner, self love.

Many times when I find myself in a state of mind that leaves me feeling any type of a unpleasant or disconcerting emotion, I ask myself "why am I feeling this way? Why do I want to make myself feel this way by allowing it to prolong any further?" I think of what the probable cause is, because sometimes, its not obvious or specific enough. I target the source and expedite from there. At the end of the day, I always conclude that I love myself too much to make me feel anything that's unhappy. Emotions are hard to control, yes. I can't change how I feel by a flip of a switch, but I can definitely alter my perspective and how I perceive everything. It's like the saying goes, "If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." - Mary Engelbreit. From minuscule, petty things that make you unhappy, to more hurtful situations, like the people you care about, it does not matter. Love yourself always and ask yourself if anything is worth sacrificing your happiness for. When a person is happy, they are capable and willing to do great things! Why not promote self love to others so that they can be just as happy as you are, especially if that means that they can be just as happy with themselves as you are with yourself. I have enough love for not only myself, but enough to give and share to everyone- whether they'd need it or not.

Let's consider our country's state of condition for a moment. As a union, do you think our people are happy? As diverse as our country is, I feel we are experiencing an all time high of hatred ever since the years of slavery. We still have so many people out here who have a hatred towards other people for no reason other than their skin pigmentation. We have people who hate the people who hate them, and we have people who subconsciously hate themselves and reflect that hatred towards specific types of people. Although we will never be able to change some sad, narrow minded people, we can help those who are insecure or sad with themselves by teaching them how to love, and how to love the person that they are. Love and happiness can definitely be contagious, it's always the little things, like opening the door for someone, that matters. Small gestures go a long way! Eventually we can have a mass population of people who love themselves, their life, and wouldn't even be able to not promote their love.