Awhile back I had a major panic attack on my birthday. That day was hard to begin, as I woke up feeling isolated and stressed. My head was spinning, I felt like I was going to suffocate in my own body. I couldn’t catch my breath and get out of it. It was a strange feeling of having all these people wish you a happy birthday and send you loving messages while you just wanted to crawl into your own hole for the day.

The only person I told that day was my employer and therapist, then I had a birthday dinner and posted on Instagram how happy I was. I also opened up to a friend that week for the first time about my struggles and for that day, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. I've been struggling with depression and anxiety for years, but am now just healthily coming to terms with it.

I state all this because, for everyone, mental health is a daily battle of choosing what’s right for you. Some days are easy and you accomplish everything on your list, while some days it’s an accomplishment just to get out of bed.

Throughout this journey, moments of how others perceive mental health stick out. So, when I read the letter of Kevin Love about his battle with his mental health; "Everything is Going Through Something," I felt a sense of community.

Love is a forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball team who openly wrote a letter on his struggles with mental health. After having a panic attack at a basketball game, he decided to take charge of his mental health and seek therapy. He discusses in the letter about the stigma with mental health surrounding men, stating that “you learn what it takes to be a man.”

Having high-status individuals that many people idolize be so candid about mental health will build connections and open a dialogue to discuss. No one is exempt.

Often, mental illness does not get the same treatment as physical illnesses. If you have a broken leg, your doctor would adjust a cast for you to heal, so why can’t that be the same for when your brain needs healing? People want to use mental illness for excuses such as school shootings but don’t want to address it when it affects 450 million people a day. Everything is going through something; mental health is not only if you deal with an illness. It's also just knowing when you need help or how to treat yourself healthily.

The fact that I was able to have a safe space in therapy to discuss my feelings and find healthy solutions to stressors in my life was a significant change. What I was going through became valid.

To have an understanding and put a label on it that I have anxiety and depression was also powerful – imagine going through this but not having any clue what it is and no one to help you. That’s why mental health and illnesses need to be an open discussion. You don’t have to suffer in silence.

I’m writing this for people I know who are struggling. I’m writing this for myself. I’m writing this for people who are open about their mental illness and for people who aren’t. I’m writing this for people who survive every day and people who are not here today. Make your mental health a priority – your mental health matters and you shouldn’t feel ashamed for that.