Mental Illness-a concept that is difficult to understand, simply because those who have not struggled will never truly be able to sympathize. At some point, mental illnesses were wrongly defined as uncomfortable, strange issues that such seemingly happy, carefree people could never be dealing with.

I have struggled with anxiety my entire life. I remember silently panicking in my high school classes, purely because I was terrified of drawing any sort of negative attention to myself. I was thought of as a carefree girl; I wasn’t the one who broke down in hysterics. The thought of making our struggles known is terrifying. Even now I am hesitant to write this, but if I can do even the smallest thing to help erase this stigma, it would mean the world to me. We must remember that even the tiniest voice can make a difference.

Last week a boy at my school took his own life. I am in no position to diagnose him/assume what he was going through, or anything else about his life for that matter, but I do know that one of the hardest parts of dealing with a mental illness is admitting it. When you feel unable to open up to others, a feeling of hopelessness takes over. The fact that so many fear the thought of their friends/family knowing about their battles is beyond devastating to me.

I find that people are both shocked and relieved when they find that I share the same struggles as them, and such should not be the case. We walk around with our silent demons, thinking they only haunt us when in reality, they could be harboring in those that we envy the most.

Everyone is fighting a silent battle. Never decide who a human is based on the smile they wear in public or the pictures of them that fill your screen. The goal of social media, of social situations is to make your life appear perfect. We are piled into a particular social group and given a reputation to uphold, a false stigma to follow. We’re the funny one, the attractive one, the stylish one, and many don’t understand that there is often darkness hiding underneath. Talk to each other, the feeling of having people to lean on is an indescribable one. It can do anything from making getting out of bed easier, to saving a life. I will never doubt the impact of our words and our actions.

Now is not the time to to belittle and berate. The next time you see someone panicking at a party, walking alone, sitting on the sidewalk in tears- talk to them. I beg you to spare them of judgemental looks and realize that we are in no position to decide how they should be acting. A simple “are you okay?” can be enough to keep someone with us another day. Never tell someone with an anxiety disorder to “stop worrying,” never tell someone who struggles with depression to “cheer up.” Mental illnesses are not something that can be turned on and off as one pleases. There are good days and bad, and the best thing you can do is listen.

To those struggling firsthand, It has taken years for me to realize that my anxiety doesn’t define me, and there are still days where I feel so horribly different from everyone else. I know it is hard to share the less appealing parts of yourself with the world, the thought of being looked at differently is something that haunts us all.

If there is one thing I can promise you it is that reaching out for help, whether it be through therapy or medication, does not make you weak. It does not mean you have failed. I know of so many too stubborn to “give in to medical help.” I urge you not to see it in this way. If there was a 100 pound weight on your shoulders, those around you would not hesitate to reach out and assist. I know that so many of you are carrying that weight now, but it is invisible to those around you. I urge to find a sliver of courage that I know lies within you, and reach out. Let us help you carry the weight.

You are very loved, and speaking out about the struggles that make you feel otherwise does not make you weak. I beg everyone to see each other as human, we are not defined but what holds us back, by the things that keep us up at night. You are not your illness.

“Your current situation does not have to be your final destination.”