I am a daughter. I am a girlfriend. I am a friend. I am a student. I am a makeup artist. I am sick of how society views a crucial part of who I am.
"If a tree fall in a forest and nobody's around to hear it, does it make a sound?" why must we view mental illness with this same train of thought. Would you ask someone who has broken their leg but doesn't yet have a cast on it, to just get over it a walk? Simple answer NO. Society judges mental illness as not being a "real" illness because "it cannot be seen" or "it's just in your head" yeah, it is IN my head, hello that's why it's called MENTAL illness, it is an illness that is in the head but that should not make it any less significant than a "physical" illness because trust me, I can feel physically what my mind is doing to my body.
I should probably take a step back, I am 19 years old and have probably suffered anxiety my entire life without even really realizing it. It wasn't really until I became a little older that I processed that there was something going on that wasn't quite right. I would see many medical doctors about my physical symptoms, trying to pass the blame onto stomach issues or sinus and throat problems but once none of those symptoms were running clear my medical doctor told me the one thing I never even imagined "maybe you should speak to someone about anxiety because what is going on up here [mentally] can effect what is down here [the body]" and that moment where he encouraged me to get the help that was fitting for me stuck with me for the rest of my life but at that time I was both terrified and relieved that I was making a step in the right direction. I proceeded to grow as a person while still hiding my anxiety because I was afraid of the backlash from my high school piers.
It took me a few years to come to terms with this huge part of who I am. I've learned to live with anxiety and not fight with it. Anxiety is a feeling that is important to keep you safe and I value that but I work everyday to not let it make me feel scared of life. In the early stages (before I was educated on what was going on in my body) I would feel so nauseous to the point where I had to stay home from school and other events but I would never get physically sick, I would shake in my bed late at night while my wonderful mother comforted me. It was a struggle and I do still have my days where I am struggling but I am so much stronger now and I want to dedicate part of my life to ending the stigma.
It's not the anxiety that always cripples you, it's the stigma attached to it. I don't understand why society always has to "view" things, it's always based on what is outerly seen and not what is going on inside and that isn't fair. It's time for a real change and it's time to #endthestigma
This blog page is going to be dedicated to getting the conversation started, I have created an e-mail that you can send your questions and comments to and I will answer them while keeping your identity anonymous, while responding to urgent messages directly.
alwaystalk@outlook.com *remember that I am not a medical professional and all opinions are personal statements not medical facts.*
Need help now? (Canada)
Good2Talk (post-secondary helpline): 1-866-925-545
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
