Mental illness is everywhere.
It lives in the acquaintances you know from college, the friends you talk to on your day-to-day, and is as in insidious as your closest loved ones. Not everyone with mental illness displays the signs you see on television or even confides to you what they are feeling.
Mental illness can range from something life-threatening, like bipolar or schizophrenia, to something more manageable, like general anxiety or depression. No matter the diagnosis, all mental illnesses are manageable with the proper treatment and acknowledgement that we are ALL worthy and able of living a healthy life.
Mental illness is not easy, but life is not easy. I spent a whole decade trying to understand and conquer my mental illnesses: misdiagnosed bipolar, eating disorder, and general anxiety.
I hope this Mental Illness Awareness Week, people know that living a healthy and “normal” life is possible and it all starts within you.
Knowing you are capable of it, worthy of it and by doing everything in your possible power to obtain it- even if means fighting big insurance on “how sick” you are.
Mental illness is everywhere and it’s time to stop the stigma.
