There’s a monster, and only I can see him and he follows me around every day, all the time, 24/7.

I’m not sure how to describe him, but I know when he’s there. It becomes hard to breathe, and everything seems wrong, and you feel like someone is directly behind you breathing down your back. You can almost see that black figure behind you, but when you turn around he always hides so you think you’re crazy.

He makes you feel completely insane when you know you’re competent. He makes you feel isolated, yet you’re not alone.

He makes you feel like you can’t go anywhere during the day, or that you can’t get out of bed in fear of people hating you.

He makes you feel guilty about things you have done correctly, or about things you have never done in your life.

He’s with me when I’m in a crowd of people, or in an office, or a classroom. But no one can see him and people pretend he doesn’t exist, making me feel crazy because it feels all too real to me.

That monster? His name is Anxiety. He goes away with two bottles of prescription drugs and a small attempt at reassurance from someone who kind of believes you. He goes away when people tell you to stop worrying, or that it’s all in your head.

Anxiety is a silent killer.

Anxiety is an invisible monster.

Anxiety is real.

Everyone battles their own personal demons. Everyone makes mistakes, but hey look on the bright side that means we all have something in common! But ignoring mental health issues is not an answer, it is not protecting a person, and it is not accepting. If there’s someone in your life that does experience an issue with a mental illness, try and better understand them and learn how to accommodate people with these differences. Mental disorders ARE NOT people and people ARE NOT their disorder. It’s time that everyone starts to change the way they think and prioritize Mental Health in our personal lives and in our society.