"What are you upset for? You have a good life."

If you have heard these words before then you understand what I mean when I say that your emotions and mental health are often overlooked and neglected. For example, in moments when you are actually trying to express your pain and difficulties, a parent or someone close tells you that you have no reason to be complaining because there are people that have it worse than you.

But mental illness does not have a race, socioeconomic status, gender, age, or any other defining feature that you must fit the criteria for.

Mental illness can affect anyone.

Convincing yourself that your issues matter is something that is extremely difficult when your whole life has been nothing but people telling you that you have no reason to be upset. But I am here to tell you that it's okay to not be okay.

It's okay to be angry, or depressed, or confused.

You are valid.

What is not okay is to keep these things to yourself.

It has taken me years and the death of my father to come to the realization that my mental health is so important. You are not weak for needing help. You are not weak for crying. You are not weak for losing hope. You are not weak for not being okay.

In fact, you are strong for admitting that you can't do everything by yourself.

Those that are weak are the ones invalidating you for having a mental illness. The ones that aim to put others down. The ones that are saying that YOU are weak. The ones that leave you fighting alone.

You cannot fight a battle alone and mental illness is a war worth fighting.

Keep fighting. Be a warrior.