Mental health has been a big aspect in the news lately, because it affects many people in many different ways. Unfortunately, there has been many instances where mental health has been brought to the attention by the media because of so many tragedies not only around the U.S. but the world.

Mental health has no prejudice it affects people of every race, gender, age, religion and economic status. It’s important to note that people with a mental illness are more likely to inflict harm on themselves and become the victim rather than be the perpetrates. We tend to put a fake face on the outside to hide what we are feeling on the inside, which is someone completely different usually. We often times hide all kinds of worries, insecurities, feeling of inadequacies and many more but that’s what makes us all human beings. What people see is what they judge which can really affect people on the inside.

For someone like me who has never experienced first-hand a mental illness can only be an advocate and voice for those who are too afraid to speak up for themselves. The more that you are vocal for yourself and for others the more people are going to talk about it and help you. When people aren’t speaking up about what they are feeling inside it can lead to self-medication and coping with very unhealthy behaviors.

It takes about 10 years to properly be diagnosed and find the right treatment while suffering with mental illnesses, so comprehensive mental health reform in our government is important to bring up. I think this would allow people to really address the issue of mental health and it would make people more likely to get help. Only four in 10 people are getting the help they need involving mental health issues, which leads to the question of what happens to the others who aren’t getting that help.

Body image can lead to many issues involving mental health as well it’s more important to show our confidence in our natural state than ever. Social media is one big outlet that young people especially girls look at and when they see celebrities who are stick thin they want to be like them or they think that’s what they have to look like to be successful in this world. Magazines also do this by portraying women to be these beautiful skinny creatures but in reality they also can be struggling with their own issues and girls looking up to them tend to not realize how unrealistic these pictures of women can be.

When going through a mental illness or recovering from one it’s important to remember that you deserve to be the best that you can be and that there is so much more to life when you take care of yourself. No matter where you have been or where you are right now things can turn around. People often don’t know where to start or who to turn to so researching is a good way to begin. Be Vocal is a website that provides the resources and the information that so many people need and it provides information to people on how to take action and serves as a support system for people dealing with mental health issues. The more you start loving yourself and embracing insecurities, the more confident and comfortable you’ll be within yourself. It’s important to speak up about mental health, maintain a healthy mind and if that means seeking help, don’t be ashamed of it.