Let’s get real with Whyt for a moment. If you were to look at my Instagram profile, it would appear that I have the perfect life. You would have no idea that I have been struggling with mental illness. So this is my #NoFilter story.
For the past year, severe anxiety and depression have taken over my life. I reached such a severe point that my anxiety was paralyzing and I had long periods of depressive states. On March 30th, 2017, I got medical help. I started seeing a therapist and tried to work through my mental illness. Fast forward to March 30th, 2018, and I am a new person. Throughout the past year, I hated who I became because of my illness. So I knew that I had to learn to love myself again if I no longer wanted to be miserable. I have worked so hard to combat my negative self talk and retrain my brain to love who I am.
Now, I know that my mental illness does not define me. A year ago, I could hardly get out of bed. A year ago, I was in so much pain that I didn’t even want to live. Now, I wake up and start fresh every day. Now, I forgive myself and try harder to be better. Now, I am a badass.
I am celebrating the fact that I am still alive. I am celebrating how far I’ve come in one year. I am celebrating self love. I am celebrating mental health. I am so passionate about ending the stigma around the word “mental illness.” It’s okay to not be okay. You are only human. I still have bad days but life is one big rollercoaster up and down. I know how to pick myself back up now. I want to help others through their own mental journey. I want to create a world where people aren’t afraid to speak up about their struggles and receive help. We are so focused on projecting our best moments to others so we appear perfect but why not be vulnerable? Why can’t we be supportive and understanding of other’s weaknesses?
This is a reminder to always be kind to everyone you come in contact with. You never truly know when someone is fighting their own battle in their head. Please follow End the Stigma to join the movement of ending the stigma towards mental illness. If you want to learn more about my mental illness journey, watch my video below.
Original post via Instagram