So what does it feel like having a Mental Illness? For many, it's hard to explain. It's frustrating, difficult, hard to handle, and makes things worse than they are for many of us that have been diagnosed with a Mental Illness. How do you begin to explain something you don't understand to those around you when you don't even understand it? That's the big struggle of having a Mental Illness. You don't understand what is going on so how can you explain to it to someone else? Society has a way of making it even more difficult with how Mental Illness is portrayed in the media. That's what makes it most difficult.
Having a Mental Illness is like being a prisoner of your own mind. It's like constantly struggling with trying to be happy and be a productive member of society. It's as though a black fog is hanging over you, struggling to be happy, struggling to understand why you're feeling the way you are. It's a battle of trying to understand your emotions. For example, Anxiety feels like you can't do anything without worrying about the aftermath. What you said, what you did, where you were, how you reacted will be in your head and the what if's will start happening. That's when it becomes a nightmare to forget. When you think you forgot, Anxiety likes to bring it back and bring you down. For me, Anxiety and Depression are twins because having both of them is a like living in hell.
It's going from one constant to another. It's being at war with your own mind. How can you explain something to someone who has no idea what you're going through? This is what Mental Illness feels like. We aren't seeking attention or lazy. All wounds aren't visible and society needs to wake up and understand that this stereotype needs to change. Society must learn to respect those who have an Mental Illness, and let them know they are welcome in society. That's why many don't open up is because they are afraid they will be seen as attention seeking and because of the stigma. This needs to change. We can't send this message because it's not right or fair, those who are struggling to understand what's going in their own mind don't deserve to suffer. A change needs to happen and it needs to happen quick because how society treats the Mental Health community is unacceptable.
Having a Mental Illness is like being a prisoner of your own mind. It's like constantly struggling with trying to be happy and be a productive member of society. It's as though a black fog is hanging over you, struggling to be happy, struggling to understand why you're feeling the way you are. It's a battle of trying to understand your emotions. For example, Anxiety feels like you can't do anything without worrying about the aftermath. What you said, what you did, where you were, how you reacted will be in your head and the what if's will start happening. That's when it becomes a nightmare to forget. When you think you forgot, Anxiety likes to bring it back and bring you down. For me, Anxiety and Depression are twins because having both of them is a like living in hell.
It's going from one constant to another. It's being at war with your own mind. How can you explain something to someone who has no idea what you're going through? This is what Mental Illness feels like. We aren't seeking attention or lazy. All wounds aren't visible and society needs to wake up and understand that this stereotype needs to change. Society must learn to respect those who have an Mental Illness, and let them know they are welcome in society. That's why many don't open up is because they are afraid they will be seen as attention seeking and because of the stigma. This needs to change. We can't send this message because it's not right or fair, those who are struggling to understand what's going in their own mind don't deserve to suffer. A change needs to happen and it needs to happen quick because how society treats the Mental Health community is unacceptable.