Too often we dehumanize those living with a mental illness. "She's crazy," they'll whisper about her based on stereotypical assumptions, failing to make the attempt to discover who she really is deep down. What makes her up? What keeps her going? Labeling her with her diagnosis will not even begin to describe the kind of person she is or even touch upon what she brings to this world on a daily basis. She smiles, you know, and she does it quite beautifully. Though she's seen the absolute worst she's capable of seeing some good. She breathes like a human, laughs when amused, and cries when upset. She suffers from the hardships of depression, but she is not her depression; I repeat, I am not my depression.
I am a daughter.
I may question my existence from time to time, but I love my parents with all of my heart and this gift of life they have given me. Thanks to them I am able to learn and grow and take on every day no matter how hard the fight.
I am a sister.
I want to be here for my siblings as much as they want to be there for me. It's more than my job, it's my lifelong duty. No dark monster can take that away from me. No dark monster can take me away from them.
I am a friend.
And a friend I will be for eternity. No sickness can draw me apart from the meaningful relationships I've developed over the years-- the ones that have filled my memories with adventure and my heart with happiness.
I am a granddaughter.
A granddaughter who cares for her grandparents more than they'll ever realize, even on my worst days.
I am a cousin. I am a niece. I am a student. I am an intern. I am a babysitter. I am a writer. I am a role model-- even when it feels hopeless to set an example, just by holding on, I am. I am a Capricorn by my birth month and a Catholic by my religious beliefs. I'm Italian because of my cultural heritage.
I am all of these things that make up me. But I am NOT my depression. There's more than meets the mental disorder. Stop the mental health stigma.
https://www.nami.org/stigmafree
http://www.nndc.org/
http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
http://erasingthedistance.org/
