Mental health still carries a stigma in today's society, but compared to the past, this generation has been improving when it comes to openly talking about illness mentally instead of physically. Let's speak up about it though.

Let's speak up about how normal it is to tell somebody you have a doctors appointment for your broken arm, but when you tell somebody you have a therapist appointment at 7 pm, the room fills with an awkward vibe wondering if you should explain more about your mental illness, if they understand it, or if they are going to give you unnecessary sympathy now.

Let's speak up about how easy it is to talk about how you're feeling when you are in control of your emotions, for example, "I'm a little nervous, but my deep breaths calm me down." It's easy for others to relate to those sensation feelings, because one time or another in our life we have all felt anxiety, but it's almost impossible and seems hopeless to share your confusion and numbness with others. You will rarely hear me along with others actually open up and say something like, "I wake up and just feel numb. I have no emotion or excitement or hope, and I honestly just want to lay in bed and stare at my ceiling for the rest of my life, or better yet just die." This is my depression speaking. We don't share our dark feelings because we are afraid we will get judged and we will be looked at as crazy. But this is what we are feeling and in reality, there is nothing crazy about this. We are humans and we are effected by a mental illness. We should be able to talk about what we are feeling, it doesn't define us or change us, it's just effecting us and we deserve to talk it out and not face this alone. That is all. Don't be ashamed. Don't be discouraged because you think nobody else feels this way. Open up and take control of the feelings that are affecting you, regardless of how dark and scary they are.

Sometimes I feel as if mental health has a boundary with how much we can speak up about it. Yes, let's be open with the nervousness of anxiety and the sadness of depression, but God forbid if I bring up my crippling anxiety that won't let me even speak a word without throwing up as I shake with nerves and bite my lip until it gushes blood. If I openly talk about how suicidal I am. It's as if once you pass the "crazy" line when talking about mental illness, the stigma automatically comes back and nobody seems to understand or care to understand.

I want to speak up because people are struggling. We are struggling more than just feeling down in the dumps and taking a walk to forget about it. We are struggling more than just wanting to sleep for a day and wake up feeling refreshed for the next day. I want to speak up because others don't realize how difficult it actually is for somebody to share the scary thoughts and feelings they feel everyday, to other people, in fear of being called crazy, being thought of differently now, not wanting to admit it to themselves/others. Or in my case, having a 4 year battle with your mind on how you just want to be open with the crippling mental illness, but just can't for the love of life open my mouth and just speak the truth of how horribly it's affecting me! I want to speak up, because coming out to your friends and family about your mental illness is one of the hardest things to do.

The truth is, mental illness happens. It affects a bunch of us, more severely than others. I feel the need to speak up about mental illness because there still is a stigma attached to it. Mental illness affects us and sometimes we know why we are depressed, and other times you wake up one morning and it seems as if your life flipped upside down for no reason and you feel like shit for no reason. I want to speak up because it is so freaking hard to open up about mental illness when you have no idea why you're feeling this way, only to suffer alone in your room keeping it all in. I want to speak up because it's important to talk about how hard it is to tell your family you are suffering and that you have no idea why. In my case, I struggled with the question that always slaps me right back in my face when I finally did decide to tell people how I felt. "Why?" "Why are you feeling like that?" I don't know! If I knew why I felt this way then I would be on my way to recovery. When I open up to people, I just want support, positivity, and a hug. I don't want to be asked 10 more questions that I don't know the answer to. There are no rules for mental illness. There are no boundaries and there is certainly not a packet you get that explains why you feel like you want to die when everyone else around you seems energized.

I want to speak out about mental illness because it's not easy to live life randomly getting anxiety attacks. Maybe I'm standing in line at Walgreens, or getting ready for bed, and all of a sudden, I get a nervous pit in my stomach and negative thoughts rush to my head. Nothing is scarier than feeling that exact moment when you feel as if you are no longer in control of your body and you're about to make an embarrassment to yourself as you start seeing black spots and wanting to just run to your car and lay down in the back seat curled up in a ball. These are real feelings. Real humans deal with these scenarios everyday. It is scary, but the truth is, mental illness has been affecting a ton of us everyday whether we are really good at hiding it or you see someone acting differently and automatically judge them.

I want to speak out because there is nothing more confusing and scary than having a one sided battle with yourself, when in reality, our bodies and mind should be our temple; our happy and secure place.

If you're reading this and you feel alone, please know that you are not. There are a ton of humans surrounding you everyday who feel your pain, who understand your pain, and who know that you aren't just a crazy psycho. Something I learned in life is that it is so important to be understanding and accepting of yourself and others. We are all so different and unique, it is impossible to fully get to know each other, that's not even the goal in life. The goal isn't to relate to every single person on this Earth, the goal is to realize everyone has differences and to accept them, and if you can't understand them, move on and accept the situation.

Remember: mental illness is scary, but over time you can cope with it and start to control it if you work everyday to recovery. Mental health is important to talk about and to be open about. It's just as important as physical health! You are not alone. I am here to always talk if you need somebody. Take it one step at a time. Don't let your mind be overwhelmed with the big picture of life and mental illness and how you should be feeling vs. what you actually feel. Instead, breathe in the moment and find little joys through out your day. Slowly transform the way you live and think, change your thoughts into positive and hopeful thoughts, and change your perspective more clearly as you see all the beauty that's been surrounding you this entire time, forget the feeling of not being able to see it because you are blinded by the mental illness.

The only way to stop this stigma, is to speak up about mental health! Constantly remind people that it is just as important as physical health. Add activities into your day that focuses on improving your mental health. Spread mental positivity to others by telling them words of encouragement and positivity.

I am challenging you all to start speaking up more about mental health and encourage daily mental health. Whether it's waking up and reading a positive mantra for the day, or deciding to compliment 10 people today. I believe in you. I believe in us.