Mental health.

Those words are terrifying, but they shouldn't be.

I told someone once that I honestly believe that everyone should see a therapist. They laughed at me and said that would bring up a lot of issues in the past that should just be kept down. The rest of the table laughed with them. This is why we have mental health issues.

We talk about cancer. We talk about alcoholism. Heck, we even talk about STDs, starting in middle school. But when do we talk about mental health? Never. This is why we have mental health issues.

We call mental health facilities the loony bin. We make fun of people suffering, calling them nut-jobs and wacko and crazy. Why should it be easier to tell the world about one type of health and not the other? This is why we have mental health issues.

We swipe everything under the rug and pretend that our issues don't exist.

And this is why I need Jesus. I don't have to have it all figured out. You can fight this all you want, but there is nothing like the warm feeling in your heart when you can finally breathe.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I'm not saying we won't have mental health issues when we have Jesus. That's not the point. The point isn't that I can handle my mental health issues. The point is that Jesus handles them for me and makes me greater for them. I'm not afraid to speak about them because I'm not labeled by or held back by them. How cool is it that we serve a God who loves us even with our flaws?

The world profits off of our unhappiness. It says I need makeup and a large bank account and to lose weight and a man and to dye my hair for me to be happy, so why am I so much more miserable when I succumb to the world? Because we aren't of the world; we are meant for so much greater. You are not the letters you wear on your chest, whether they be Greek or scarlet.

The best kind of revenge is success and self-acceptance. When I realize that I'm worth so much more than my appearance or my resume or my social media statistics, I realize that I am beating the system (and that feels so much better than something of this world, because it's sustaining and keeps me satisfied on my bad days).

If you can't speak about this with your friends, you need new friends. I hate to break it to you, but this might be your sign to shake up who you spend time with. And if your friends are causing these mental health issues, you need to find new friends. I know how hard that is because I've been there, but I also know how freeing it is to know that my friends know everything and love me because of it.

We need to change the belief that mental health issues are failures if we really want to enact change. I, as one person, will probably not be able to change the opinion of every single person on the planet about this topic, but I can try. And I will.

When celebrities speak up, they're changing the dialogue--and that is great. We see them as the end all be all. But they aren't. For every nice hashtag trending about Michael Clifford's statement on stage about therapy or Taylor Swift's Clean Speech, there is a nasty one about Demi Lovato's struggles or Miley Cyrus falling off the deep end. What if we changed the conversation from their crazy antics or their outfits or love lives to how the media portrays them or how they're incorrectly held as idols? What if we thought about people as people and not as objects? What if we asked questions with intent and not just in passing? What if we actually cared?

I am just as powerful as they are, and so are you. Speak up. Listen. Care. You're not alone.

INTERESTED IN SPEAKING UP?

• Check out mentalhealth.gov. It has great information in a tab labeled "Talk About Mental Health," as well as places to find help.
• Have intentional conversations. Don't just move on when someone says "good" or "fine" when you ask how they are.
• Don't change the conversation if someone opens up. If you act like you actually do care, don't change your mind--that can cause even more damage, and walls built up.
• Go to TCU like me? Check out TCU's Counseling & Mental Health Center.
• You aren't alone. Sometimes, to find like-minded people, you need to speak about your story. Be the brave one.
• Stop acting like its okay to act like that Mean Girls scene where everyone is standing in front of the mirror talking about things they hate about their bodies. That shouldn't be normal and we should stop encouraging it.
• Don't be afraid to correct people with love. You shouldn't fell like you have to say silent when people say unkind things about others (or themselves).
• Be kind to people. Not only because this is good karma and honestly makes you feel good, you never know how bad someone's day has been. One smile or one word hello can make all the difference.
• Be kind to yourself. People will notice.
• Find someone you trust to talk to. If that isn't a parent, find someone else you can count on. If you think that person is me, I'm here.

Speaking up is scary, but so are the drastic consequences of those who don't. Please don't let those you love suffer (and yes, that includes you.)