Dear Mental Illness Warrior,

There is nothing more scarier than dealing with your own mind.

I know, I've been in your shoes before. Crying into your pillow every night wishing the hollow, aching pain in your chest would stop? Check. Friends and family thinking you're crazy because they don't understand mental illness is just as bad as a physical illness? Check. Losing weight, not eating, skipping school all because you can't bear to face the day? Check, check, and check.

It wasn't until after I got out of the hospital that I realized I mattered and deserved to live a happy, healthy life. I was worth recovery, and you are too.

If you haven't gotten help yet and you're suffering, please do. I know it's scary. I know it feels like you're going to be judged or ridiculed, but trust me you won't.... and if you are then those people who do that don't deserve to be in your life. Reaching out to somebody was one of the best decisions of my life. You are going through a troublesome, tiring part in your life and you deserve to be treated for it. Please, get help. Look up on Google the nearest therapist to you. Worried about money? Go to the therapist and discuss the costs. Most therapists will negotiate a payment plan with you. If you don't want to reach out to a professional, please tell somebody you trust. It's a big jump, but you deserve to get better.

The first thing you must realize: nothing will change unless you do. Change is scary for most of us. Change is getting out of your comfort zone and making a huge leap into the unknown. But guess what? Change is always good. Change helps us grow as a person and helps us learn about ourselves. You don't have to make a crazy change in order for you to change your life. It could be as simple as getting out of bed one morning instead of sleeping all day. For me it was going to cyber school instead of staying in public school. When you make a change, pick something that YOU think has a positive, healthy outcome. Sometimes it's okay if the only thing you did today was breathe. Taking baby steps is key.

You are not worthless because somebody made you feel that way. One of our worst habits as humans is caring about what people think of us. What we think about ourselves is everything. If someone says something negative about you, that says a lot more about them then it does about you. Also, one of our worse habits as humans is feeding ourselves shallow, self-degrading thoughts. We are not the words that we tell ourselves at 3 in the morning when everyone else is asleep. We are human, we're never going to be perfect and it's time to stop beating ourselves up when we aren't. We are our own worst critic. Next time you get into a web of negativity repeat to yourself these affirmations: I am love. I am confident. I am powerful. I am beautiful, etc. Your thoughts are medicine to your soul.

You might feel like nobody would care if you would die today, but people would. The stranger you pass every single day going to work would miss you waving to them every morning. Your mom would dial your number just for it to go to voice mail to hear your voice when she misses you. Your friend will go through old pictures and remember all of your memories with tears streaming down their face. Nothing would be the same if you did not exist anymore. Your existence brings sunshine to somebody's life, whether you think so or not. You are important and loved by somebody. You sometimes think you want to disappear, but all you really want is to be found.

You are not weak for dealing with a mental illness. You may feel tired, sad, defeated and not good enough, but you are strong. You deal with constant saddness, panic, hallucinations, and mood swings. You are a warrior. If you fight with your demons constantly and wake up every morning dealing with them again, you are one of the bravest people in the world. Never let someone who doesn't understand tell you otherwise.

There are many different kind of anti-depressants. I'm not just talking about Zoloft, Celexa, and Prozac. I'm talking about how you choose to survive. Depression and other mental illnesses are disorders. Sometimes medication is a neccessity to live life normally and that's okay. You are not weak for choosing to be on medication. If you are taking medication for a mental illness please make sure you're going to therapy while you're taking it. It's very important to go to therapy at first while taking medication to treat your mental illness so they can regulate your dosage and to see if the medicine is working for you or not. Other people only choose to go to therapy and that's good as well. Sometimes life gets too much for us and we need to talk things out with people who aren't our friends or family. Picking out a therapist is just like picking a medication though, you need to choose carefully for the best results. If you don't click with your therapist, how are you going to get better? It might take awhile, but finding a therapist that you trust is very important for your mental illness. Lastly, the only therapy some people need is doing something that they love such as writing, hiking, playing a video game, etc.

To the people who are reading this who are not struggling with a mental illness: thank you for taking the time to read this and helping yourself become aware of mental illness as a whole. Mental illnesses are not adjectives. No, your dad is not bi-polar. No, she is not anorexic just because she is skinny. No, you are not depressed just because you are sad and having a bad day. To help people who are suffering with a mental illness we need to spread awareness. If your friend has a broken leg you wouldn't tell them to walk on it, so why would you tell someone with a mental illness to "snap out of it"? Mental illnesses should be treated just like physical illnesses. Just because you can't see suffering on the outside, doesn't me they're not battling demons on the inside. Please don't be judgemental about mental illness. When "I" is replaced by "we", illness becomes wellness.

To the people who are reading this who are struggling with a mental illness, never ever ever give up. Some of the best days of your life are waiting ahead. The road of life is a very bumpy one, but I promise you the destination will be worth it. When we were born we were smiling, innocent, happy babies. When we grow older that innocence is lost somewhere along the road by some event that has changed our entire outlook on life. We can not be lessened by it. Despite our defeats, me must move forward. You may question your existence from time to time, but you were put on this earth to make a difference. I believe you can

You are the author of your own life story. You're in charge of the pen you write with. There is no erasing mistakes or going back in the past and re-writing a new chapter. This is story called life and I hope you live it. Write yourself a well-deserved, happy ending. You're worth it

With all my love,

Someone who is cheering you on