Because you're just an attention seeker, right? Wrong. About one in four people have some kind of mental illness. So, if you don't know of someone with one, you do now. Anxiety and depression are relevant in my life, whether I show it or not. Some people think that if you come from a good life, that you shouldn't have any problems like this. Let me say something- you do not have to have a reason for feeling the way you do. My life hasn't been perfect, but it hasn't been awful. It falls somewhere in the middle, like some of yours probably does. I still have anxiety and depression, so you do not have to have an exact reason for why you feel the way you do.

Many people, family members included, have asked questions like; Why are you like this? What's so hard about talking to people? Why can't you cheer up? What's wrong with you?. I have no words for these questions. The mental illness does not define who I am, but it does make normal aspects of life harder. I've learned that some people may not have the understanding of mental illnesses that they should have. They may not understand how the imbalance of brain cells contributes to our everyday lives. Just because you are outgoing, or are a performer does not mean you cannot have anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, etc. People have asked me, "Well if you can sing or dance in front of a crowd then why can't you talk to people on a regular basis?" You can be an extrovert with anxiety or any kind of mental illness. I'm not an extrovert, I'm actually very quiet and keep to myself. Talking in front of a crowd or just talking to people, in general, is very nerve-racking. However, I like performing and being on stage. Just because I enjoy those things does not mean that I do not have anxiety or depression. This goes for any of you who play sports or are just an outgoing person in general. You can be outgoing in certain ways and still face these issues.

I've learned that dealing with these two illnesses involves a lot of faking. Fake smiles, fake laughs, just a lot of faking that everything's okay. You have to put on a smile and continue like nothing is wrong. That's really hard to do and sometimes you can't even explain what's wrong. You just don't care, but you do at the same time. This is where more people need to have an understanding of mental illnesses or just a compassionate heart for those who face these problems. People with mental illnesses are not weak, but they are extremely strong.

I've learned that people will not always understand why you do what you do or why you think what you think, but that is where you become so strong. I've learned that "faking it" is so hard, but sometimes it's what you have to do to get through the day. I've learned to reassure others, but to also have people reassure me. Most of all, I've learned to never judge anyone or their problems. You never know what someone is going through and we all need to be supportive of one another. If you need someone as a supporter, look no further because I'm right here and I know that none of us need to go through this alone.