Mental Illness Needs To Be A Topic Of Discussion - Here's My Story

There's such a gray area around mental health and how if affects people differently.

I started having panic attacks in high school and my mom just said I was being crazy and needed to calm down. It wasn't until I was sitting in front of a psychiatrist and she told me that I wasn't crazy I was just dealing with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. It took months of seeing my therapist and meeting with my psychiatrist who put me on meditation until I finally understood mental health.

Growing up, I was raised under strict Catholic rules that I had to follow. We went to church every Sunday, I got good grades, and I was a good student. Until I wasn't. I didn't understand why I felt the way I did, why I kept pacing back and forth, and why I couldn't caught my breath. It's common to self diagnose yourself and just sweep it under the rug, but these illness just don't go away over night.

It took me three years after my first panic attack to seek professional help out on my own.

I realized that in order to understand what my mind is really capable of, I need to learn to control it. I took meditation for my anxiety and meditation to help me sleep at night. After countless meetings with my psychiatrist and my therapist, I had made so much progress that if I wanted to, I wouldn't have to take anxiety or sleeping meditation. Many people have their own idea about what therapy is, and from my experience I am very grateful that was able to help me deal with my trauma. My therapist and psychiatrist worked hand in hand to figure out what was best for me. My psychiatrist recommended I take them if I really needed them. We worked very hard on trying to get back to a normal life about after everything. I couldn't thank my therapist and psychiatrist enough for changing my life.

Life can get blurry at times.

I'm always their for my friends, but I can only give them advice and its their choice what they want to do with that information. I always encourage my friends and family to seek professional help when they feel they can't handle their emotions. The first step is admitting there's an issue, and it's unbelievable how freeing I felt after my first therapy session. You're working on trauma you didn't even realize was there. Four years ago, my parents had no clue how to help me, and now their completely aware of mental health, and how to get in front of the issue.