Mental Health is a subject that is not talked about enough.

For the last eight months, I have come face to face with my mental illnesses and disorders. I have been ashamed of it and not happy. I became severely depressed.

Why?

I felt alone and not happy. I felt like I was some freak. I couldn’t control my thoughts and my feelings. I was out of control. After the right medication and a great therapist, my life is back on track.

I made it a life goal of mine to start talking about mental health and to get it to be talked about more. So here I am. Let’s talk about mental health.

I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Now most people think, “Oh you want everything super clean and you check your doors every night.” Uh no. I love things that are in order. I strive to live by a schedule. When the schedule is messed up even the slightest, I get into a frenzy. At work, if I am working the drive-thru, the drinks have to be in line by the order or I freak out. I usually apologize to a new coworker or someone who isn’t familiar with working with me about how I am with that kind of stuff because I feel bad. I also have to have my outfit matching with my makeup.

I obsess over my actions and thoughts. I obsess over what people think of me. Bad habit, I know. Thinking like that triggers my little friend called anxiety. Anxiety and OCD combined have caused more problems than I would like, but hey that’s life. I have also been diagnosed with depression. My depression has led to years of self-harm and me being a couple months clean.

I am not ashamed. I will never be ashamed.

I could talk about the change in my life for hours. It is why I want to make a difference in the mental health field. I want people who silently struggle to realize it is okay to share your story. Mental illness affects so many people including people in my own family other than myself.

I have recently leaned on support from a website called The Mighty. The Mighty has stories and articles of people sharing their struggles and victories of mental health issues. The quote at the top of their website says, “We face disability, disease, and mental illness together.” I found the strength after spending hours reading stories and articles about my illnesses to share my story and come forward. It has inspired me to help others who may or may not be going through the same issues as me.

I finally got the courage to speak about my illness and honestly? I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I finally have the support I have always wanted. It is that easy. Life gets better once you open up. You are not alone. I promise you are not alone. I promise you are not a freak because of what you have. Don’t ever think like that. You can fight. You will have victories, big and small.

Life will be challenging, but every day is a new day to get better. It is a reason to get stronger.

I am no different than the person next to me. I have opinions. I have my bad days. Don’t be ashamed. I will never be ashamed to say that I have a mental illness. I am beyond proud of it.

Let your light shine and end the stigma against mental health