We live in a generation where other people try to decide our value. Too often, people are mentally and physically destroyed simply for who they are, what they believe, and how they feel. If someone doesn't agree with what you think, they decide it is their right to belittle you, to make you feel like less of a person. People are told that their mental illness makes them less of a person, that they're faking it, that they should just get over it. I'm here to tell you that these people are wrong. Your opinions matter. You can still be whatever you want. Your mental illness is real. I'm here to tell you that whoever you are, you are valid.
Mental illness is something that we just don't talk about. We are told that if we don't talk about it, it isn't real. We are told that it is something we should be ashamed of. It should be a secret no one else knows about. No one else wants to know these things about you.
And when we do talk about mental illness, it rarely ends well. Mental illness is something widely misunderstood. It's seen as something that is rare when in fact, 1 in 4 Americans will face some mental illness in their life. But this isn't something we tell people. Instead, we make them feel alone.
When a person breaks his leg, you take him to the hospital. When a girl is throwing up, you keep her home from school. But when a girl says she can't go to school because her own mind is fighting her, you tell her to suck it up. People have trouble understanding mental disorders so they just ignore them and pretend the person is making it up.
There is a difference between being sad and being depressed. There is a difference between being scared of something and having a phobia. There is a difference between getting overwhelmed and having an anxiety attack. There is a difference between being moody and being bipolar. All of these things are real and matter, but it is time that we understand the differences and stop lumping everyone into the same category.
Having a mental illness does not define you as a person. It is not something to be ashamed of and it is not something people should ignore. You may have a mental illness, but you are still capable of achieving all of your dreams. It is time that we learn to be in control of mental illness instead of allowing it to control us. If it is something you suffer from, learn to manage it, open up, and stop letting it tell you who you are. If you do not struggle from a mental illness, still be willing to learn more about it. Be there for people who need to talk to you. Try to understand when someone is going through something you never have.
We have a long way to come as a society in terms of accepting and understanding mental illness. But the first step is to be open. Stop closing yourself off every time it comes up in conversation. Be willing to be the one to bring mental illness up in conversation. Let people know that whether you have a mental illness or not, you are in support of talking about it and making strides to end the stigma attached to it.
For all of you who feel like having a mental illness makes you less of a person, I want to let you know something: you are valid. Your mental illness is valid, your emotions are valid, your dreams are valid. Everything about you is valid. Stop letting your mental illness or other people tell you anything different.
