More people than you realize suffer from some sort of mental illness. Whether it be depression, anxiety, bipolar or manic disorders. I am one of those people. I always kept my mental illness private, in fear of judgment. But in the past year, I've become very outspoken about who I am and what my mental illness is. Hello world, My name is Emily Copes and I have bipolar mania disorder.

Being a manic bipolar person and being in a world where many people see someone who is bipolar as a crazy person is a very difficult thing. When I meet someone new and start to tell them about myself, I always question if I should tell them about me being bipolar. I wonder if i should tell them that that's why I'm sometimes not completely myself, why I'm in an overly happy mood, why I might act a little funny, or that maybe I'm down one day and I can't explain why. We live in a world where we are constantly being judged if we're not what society calls, "normal".

This past year has made me realize that even though I have a mental illness, I'm still a good person. I am not some psychopath.I have learned to embrace who I am and love myself. So what if I tend to be a little more emotional than the "average" person. Who is society to tell me that I'm wrong because I don't fit into that category? I have my own category of people who I strongly admire because I have the same disorder as them and I know what struggles they face on a daily basis.

So to those of you who are nervous or afraid to tell or speak up about your mental illness, I have something to say to you.

Don't be afraid, be who yourself, and love yourself. Get way to excited about seeing a friend you haven't seen in awhile. Have a panic attack because you are stressing over a test. Be overly upset with someone because they did you wrong. Just be you, because the people who matter in this world are going to love you unconditionally. And love is all we need, right?