Happy sunny, yet freezing, Saturday everyone! Today's blog post was a highly requested one, and I only hope to cover this topic to the best of my ability. As you may have guessed from the title, this entry relates to mental illness and the stigmas our society places on those suffering with some form of it. According to Psychology Today, one in five Americans is living with a mental illness, yet many suffer in silence due to fear of judgement or ridicule. I'm not here to diagnose you, to tell you what to feel, or even share my own experiences - because as we all know, there is no "cookie-cutter" explanation of a mental disorder. Everybody interprets and reacts to traumatic events in their life differently. For example, following the death of a close friend, Person A becomes isolated, introverted, and falls into a depressive state. Person B develops anger management issues and cannot hold stable relationships. Whereas Person C grieves for the time being, but continues on with his/her daily life. Not one of these persons reacted to the situation correctly, because there is no correct way to respond to such events. Each of these individuals felt different feelings, and that's okay. No one can tell you how to cope with difficult times, but they can offer support to help you through them.

This is a heavy subject, I understand, but I do think it is a necessary one to shed some light on. When the labels "illness", "disease", "disorder", "condition", etc. are connected to an individual, a few things may happen. Quite commonly, many experience self-doubt, or doubt those who claim to be suffering from said illness. Because mental disorders are not physical characteristics, that apparently makes them unrealistic/fake. It's easy to feel sympathy for someone who has physical ailments, but when it's psychological, these symptoms are rarely seen. Secondly, ignorant individuals may also believe mental disorders to be self-treatable, and even curable. Too often, the phrases "Just stop thinking about it!", "Face your fears!", or "There are worse things happening in the world!" are thrown out there. It's not that easy, dumbass. Don't you think if it where so simple to stop thinking about it, people would??? Thirdly, small-minded trolls associate mental illnesses with immaturity or a sign of weakness. Hmm, wrong again. Some of the strongest people in my life suffer from some sort of anxiety, OCD, depression, ADHD, and I would have never known had they not disclosed this information to me. I admire, truly, those who live their everyday lives with a mental disorder and handle themselves with such resilience and courage.

Life is so turbulent, and this rollercoaster sometimes feels like there are more lows than highs. I said I wouldn't share my personal accounts, and I won't, but if it helps others to find peace, I'd like to offer some tips on what to do when you're feeling down.

• Try and take your mind off of the situation (a.k.a mindfulness). I've found that coloring/doodling really helps me focus my attention on something else.
• Take a nap! Recharge your engine!
• Talk it out with someone - a friend, a parent, maybe even a therapist.
• Treat yoself 😋 Eat some chocolate or buy yourself a coffee, try to relax a bit.
• REMEMBER - You have an illness, you are not your illness. It does not define who you are.

These are just a few examples of why we must treat everyone with the utmost respect and kindness (easier said than done, I'm aware). One of my favorite quotes comes from Mickie Ann who wrote, "It's exhausting to fight a war inside your head every single day". You never know what others are going through, and you never know what sort of rude comment could set someone off. As a rule of thumb, let's all be nice to one another, deal?

Hugs & kisses, everybody. Stay strong and healthy, and let's finish out this school year. 💜

-savedbythebelle