In a society where there is an ongoing stigma regarding mental health and illnesses, choose to overcome the negative associations and speak out about what you go through mentally. We all should — we need to.

Mental health is so, so important. Yet, it seems to be a topic that nobody wants to talk about. The stigma that surrounds mental health and the corresponding illnesses make it hard for people to reach out for help, let alone even speak about it. And that's just not right. People are so open to speak about a broken bone or something as simple as a headache — so why should mental health be treated any differently than physical health? But that's the thing, you can't see mental health issues as easily as you can see issues in physical health. So for some reason, society tends to look past the problems they can't see and frankly, ignore them.

I've had many ups and downs with my own mental health. For a long time, I was scared to talk about it because I feared being judged. I thought that everyone would treat me differently if they knew that I struggled. Because of the stigmas with mental health, I didn't reach out for help for way too long of a time. When I eventually worked up the nerve to tell someone and admit that I needed help, I was still scared. I was afraid that if people knew I went to counseling or if they knew that I have to take medications, I'd be looked at as weak.

I thought that because I didn't have the "perfect" mental health, that I was somehow less of a person.

For someone who already worries so much about their self-image and every little thing they do, thinking that they are inferior because of their mental struggles can be really damaging. Personally, I'm getting better about talking about my mental health. Rather than pushing my mental struggles aside, I now find myself reaching out and talking about them. Doing so has does wonders for me — I no longer feel alone in my occasional mental chaos because I know that people are looking out for me. But I couldn't have gotten to this point if I hadn't have asked for help in the first place.

There are still so many people who are alone and scared because they too have their own mental health problems, but aren't to the point where they are able to speak up.

So what I'm really trying to say is this: Let's talk about it.

Let's not make mental health a scary, touchy subject. Let's make talking about mental health just as common as physical health. Let's work towards ending the stigma and making mental health a more comfortable topic. Take some time to research mental health problems and disorders, look into symptoms and causes, risk factors and complications, and care and treatments. Create a better understanding of mental health not only for yourself but for those around you, too.

We've all heard some variation of the saying "be kind always, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about." So, let's always be kind and let's work towards understanding the battles that people have to fight every day.

Let's talk about mental health. It's important.

If you're someone who is struggling with your mental health, I urge you to reach out for help. Yes, it can be hard, but it's more than worth it. Care for yourself and put yourself first, as there are so many people who will understand and be there for you. As we work towards making mental health a common and comfortable subject, it'll only get easier. So please talk about it.