May 22, 2018- Not everyone is eager to talk about their mental health, but it is so important. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the age of 19. Growing up, I always felt weird, and different. I wondered how it was that my peers seemed to manage their daily life with ease. Because of that, accepting that I had this disorder was easy. It was enlightening because I now knew it was a health issue, which meant I could get help for it and learn to cope with it, rather than running away from it.
Since then, I’ve been an open book about my mental health struggles. My relationships have all been based on whether the other person could accept my quirks that are due to GAD, and offer support and empathy. I accepted that no one would understand exactly what I was dealing with if they didn’t manage anxiety themselves; but as long as they were willing to keep an open mind and not judge, I kept them in my circle.
Our brain is one of the biggest organs in our body. We should take care of it just as we do the rest of our physical body. But because a mental health condition is an “invisible illness,” the pain one endures isn’t always noticeable. That’s why it’s so important to have a #RealConvo and open up to others about your mental health, to make sure you get the support, and treatment, you need.
It is okay not to be okay. No one is perfect. We all have something we’re dealing with. The more we share, the easier it is to heal and live a healthy life.