Mental Illness is a very vague term for what most people are experiencing. For the purpose of this article, "mental illness" will refer to anxiety and depression.

Stop telling me to "just smile." If being happy was as easy as slapping a smile on my face, I would. Being happy is not simply the attitude you give off. Being happy is a chemical balance in your brain and unfortunately my chemicals are not balanced. I am trying to be happy, but forcing the corners of my mouth to raise is not going to make a difference in the long run.

Stop asking me what is wrong. I will open up about what is bothering me when I am ready. A simple "hey, are you doing OK" would suffice. Trying to pry my problems out of me is not going to make me open up any more. Chances are I'm just going to close myself off even more.

Stop telling me what I can do to cope with my problems. "Do you want to drive around and listen to music? Maybe that will make you feel better!" "Have you tried meditation?" "You should try this thing that my mom did!" OK people, everyone's depression or anxiety is different. I'm really, truly glad that someone you knew coped with their problems by riding their mountain bike three miles a day, but that isn't going to work for me. I have my own coping methods.

I'll cry if I want to. I'm sorry if my emotions make you uncomfortable, but if you truly care about me you will just let me cry. When I cry I feel like I am letting go of my problems for awhile. This is one of the best ways for me to express my feelings because I don't have to use my words. Crying feels good to me, please don't question me.

Do your research. Not many people even know what anxiety and depression are. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about something with an uncertain outcome. One can simply have anxiety about a test, event, etc. I, on the other hand, feel anxiety toward almost every situation I am put through. Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way a person eats, sleeps, feels about himself or herself, and thinks about things. Along with my anxiety, I have these feelings all the time.

With all of this being said, I am working on myself. Rome wasn't built in a day. I will not become happy in one day. To all my friends, please just remain my friends, help me when I need it, and allow me to recover on my own terms.