"There is nothing wrong with you. You are NOT crazy. You are not different. You are not wrong for feeling the way you do. It's completelyok."

These are the words I heard my counselor say last year when I was going through many difficult situations that first landed me in her office. I couldn't sleep, or focus, or relax. My mind was consumed twenty-four hours a day with anxious thoughts, paranoia, and sadness. I felt like no one understood me and that I should be ashamed for feeling the way I did.

Fastforward a year and those feelings never really stopped. Some days were better than others but mostly I felt like I couldn't escape feeling sad all of the time and worried every second of the day. After explaining all of that, my doctor diagnosed me with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: excessive worry and concern, sometimes for no reason, restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, etc. She also threw the word 'depression' in there. She thought that I might also have Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a depression disorder that changes with the seasons.

I'm sharing all of this because I think mental health is something that needs to be talked about everywhere. In high schools, on college campuses, business places and even in the church. Mental illnesses are REAL and SCARY and people deserve to feel comfortable enough sharing their problems and feelings with others instead of being ashamed to talk about them. If you still aren't convinced that mental health matters, here are some statistics I found that I hope concern you:

• Over 80% of people who are clinically depressed are not receiving treatment
• The number of people diagnosed with anxiety + depression increase by 30% each year
• It is estimated that about 121 million people around the world suffer from depression
• In 2013 alone, 41,149 suicides were reported, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in America

If these facts don't scare you, read them again. It's time for the world to wake up and realize that mental health isn't something to take lightly. If it's not you, I can almost guarantee that there is someone in your life that is dealing with a mental illness and they don't deserve to feel alone. Let's not shy away from this topic anymore. Let's talk about it in our homes, with our friends, at our schools, and in our churches. Let's encourage and not discourage those who need a helping hand.

I can promise that there is nothing wrong with you. You are not crazy. You are not weird. You are not wrong for feeling the way you do. It's completely OK.

If you are struggling with depression, anxiety or any other mental illness, I urge you to talk to someone. We aren't meant to do life alone and there is hope. You can handle whatever life throws at you and eventually you're going to be able to help someone with the exact same thing you're going through. Keep pushing, you're stronger than you think.

With love,

Kelsey G