You never know what someone is going through. Just imagine, the person sitting next to you on the train or waiting for the light to turn green at a stoplight could have something going on in their life that you could never comprehend; even you may have something going on in your life that you feel no one else would understand. Well, what if you were having to conquer life day by day with your mind wandering elsewhere?

Mental illness is not a joke, it is a reality. Back in the day, any form of mental illness was looked at as that person being crazy; it was not taken seriously. In present times, if someone is diagnosed with bipolar or major anxiety, it is looked at as more common and not much of a threat; however, there are still those people who bring hate towards those who cannot control what is happening to them.

Who are you to judge someone who has a mental illness? You were not judging that person before you found out. You thought they were just an ordinary person just like you, but now that they have a minor default you think they are crazy? Or different? Every person is different; including you. You even have your own flaws just like everyone else in the world; no one is perfect.

When we think about mental illnesses we lean more towards bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but what about anxiety? Or depression? Even though anxiety and depression are more minor than the others, they still are a mental illness. I hear people constantly talking about anxiety and how they have it and they sometimes cannot handle it, but what if you were dealing with it every day? Not being able to control your thoughts or take control of your body as it begins to shake. Just imagine being underwater, not being able to breathe or move even though you can see the surface, and have this happen to you multiple times a day, every day. That is anxiety disorder. Now, what about those who say they are "depressed"? Have you sat in your room, contemplating life and everything you do, while not feeling any emotion or feeling towards what is happening around you? Have you lashed out on those who love you the most and wonder why nothing good is happening in your life, even though you are most definitely loved? That is depression.

Those who do not have a mental illness need to realize that what they say and do around those who do may actually be doing more harm than good. You may think that when you are talking about how "depressed" you are or how you cannot control your emotions is not doing any harm to those around you, but there may be someone who is hurting deep inside that you do not know about; your neighbor, your best friend, or even that stranger on the bus may be hurt from your small words.

Mental illness is not a joke, it is a reality. It is more real and talked about now than it ever has been before. So, before you ramble on about how people with mental illnesses are crazy, think about what you are saying; you never know what someone is going through.