There's an unspoken rule that in order to be accepted in today's society, you must be happy, put together, and successful.

Moreover, there's a pressure that comes from peers and parents that a college freshman, like myself, must be okay. Even on one's worst day, life is supposed to go on. Any bad thoughts or feelings of unworthiness are left unshared. On the inside, one could be a complete mess with thoughts of suicide and other harmful thoughts. Meanwhile to the outside world, they are living the dream.

It's okay to not be okay.

However, it's not okay to not communicate regarding illnesses that people have. Please, if you are suffering or living with a mental illness, talk to someone that you trust. Talk to a therapist. But please, don't bottle it up. There's nothing worse than not talking about how you feel. I'm not saying announce to the whole world about every thought and feeling that you have, but at least let one well-trusted confidante know.

On my worst days, I try to let my sisters or one of my best friends know if I'm having an off-day. Recently, two of my closest friends were worried about me because I slept through class when I never miss class. I never ever want to worry friends or family. However, I completely understand how their fears come into play.

Even today, people absolutely love to ignore the fact the mental illnesses are real. Because I can vouch for depression and anxiety, I will never be able to stop stressing the fact that feelings of unworthiness are valid. The inability to get out of bed due to lack of motivation as opposed to sheer laziness is valid. The inability to describe what one is feeling is, once again, valid.

But overall, I am so sick of the stigma that people have when it comes to mental illnesses. The negativity associated with mental illnesses only makes those that are diagnosed less likely to speak out. It breaks my heart to know how so many people can reject the science and research behind the majority of mental illnesses. Regardless of what it is someone has, it's real.

It's okay to not be okay.

And people that are refusing to accept mental illnesses is not.

Until the day that people treat mental illnesses as they do physical illnesses, I will not stop speaking out. I will not stop fighting or speaking on behalf of others that are living the same reality as my own. And my reality, for the most part, is one that I have been learning to deal with. However, my reality with my fight isn't even all that bad in my opinion. Not to discredit my fight or anyone that is helping me in my fight, but I know that there are mental illnesses that make reality a living hell.

I just want to reiterate the fact that it is always okay to feel whatever you're feeling. Your feelings are beyond valid, friend. Your life is valid. It's okay to feel the way you feel; if that feeling is simply just a feeling of not okay... that is okay.