Mental illness isn't a valid excuse because it is glamorized too much in our society.
Mental Illness isn't a valid excuse.
So on the days that I can't get myself out of the house because my anxiety is paralyzing my entire body... I have to go out anyway. I have to go out of my house because the stigma of mental illness tells society that if I don't go out of the house because of anxiety, that I am "dramatic". "Why can't she put the drama aside and do what she has to do?" they say.
Mental Illness isn't a valid excuse.
Which means that on the days my depression is running so deep that the only way to cope with the emotions is to sleep it off... I have to stay awake anyway. I have to stay awake because if I stay in bed all day that means I am "lazy". If I don't get done what I need to get done because I am sleeping away the heavy weight of depression, I am "unproductive".
Mental Illness isn't a valid excuse.
Thus, on the days where Post Traumatic Stress Disorder gives me flashbacks to the point where I am numb on the bathroom floor, it is not an excuse. When I want to just breathe, get my mind back to a safe place, and relax from the attack... I don't. I don't use my PTSD attack as an excuse because that means I'm "living in the past", "need to move on", or "focus on the positive".
Mental Illness isn't a valid excuse.
Therefore, when I have a panic attack that is so severe, so traumatic, and so raw that I can't even form words to speak, I don't use it as an excuse. When I am profusely sweating, my vision is blurred, and my body is so heavy and so weak that I can't move. When everything around me sounds fuzzy and I can't comprehend what anyone is saying. When the aftermath of the panic attack makes me so weak that what I need to do is recover and relax... I can't. I can't use my panic attack as an excuse because "it couldn't have been THAT bad".
Mental illness is not an acceptable excuse in our world right now, but it should be.
Mental illness is thrown around like it is nothing when to some people it is everything. Being more mindful and accepting of those who suffer from mental illness will only make the world a little bit better, so please try and be a little more empathetic.
