This June, I got to see one of my favorite bands, Imagine Dragons, play live at Hersheypark Stadium.
Besides putting on an incredible show, the band made sure every single person walked away with an important message fresh in their minds.
During their song "Demons", which is about dealing with mental illness (inner demons, so to speak), lead singer Dan Reynolds stopped singing to talk about the awful stigma we have against mental illness.
"We cannot talk enough about being open about depression, anxiety, and a therapist," he said.
Dan Reynolds was able to talk so openly and honestly about mental illness because he himself has depression. He is a perfect example of someone who has seen the darkness and still continues to relate to and inspire others with something as beautiful as music.
He ended the speech by reminding everyone that they are not broken, and immediately jumped right back into the the song, which fit so well with the speech.
This speech really hit home for me. I've seen very up close and personal the toll mental illness has on a person. We really cannot talk enough about normalizing mental illness.
Perhaps the most inspiring part of the speech was the fact that such a large portion of the audience was made up of younger kids. The best way to destroy a stigma is to make sure that it isn't something that is learned at a young age.
Aside from creating art that promotes positive change, celebrities and artists using their platforms to openly talk about and make change is so important in this age, especially because there are so many young people looking up to these artists.
We should not be so adamant when talking about mental illness. It does not make you wrong and it certainly does not make you broken.
Imagine Dragons is not the only band speaking positively about mental illness, and they shouldn't be the last. It is so important that we have these artists who are making a difference among all of their fans--no matter their age, and no matter what their personal demons may be.
Dan Reynolds' full speech can be found here.
