During Mental Health Awareness Day a friend of mine that I knew in college asked for a favor- she asked her friends to try to find ways normalize the discussion around mental illness. I wanted to do something, but at the time I wasn’t sure how. I also knew that on that day there would be others who would post and talk about mental illness. I wanted to write something in support of her- on a normal day, because mental illness doesn’t abide by awareness days or holidays.

I thought about what it meant to normalize something. For me, normalization means I can go out into the world and talk about my mental illness and I can tell other people and not feel shame. It also means speaking up about it so those who have mental illness don’t feel so alone. When I had a panic attack today, I thought about my friend. I took the first picture below mid panic attack: then, ten minutes later, I took the second.

I had seen pictures that other people had posted, like this, in private groups but they would always say that they didn’t feel comfortable posting them on their public social media pages because they were scared of what people would say. I wish I could tell those people to share those posts and that  people wouldn’t treat them differently- I wish that was the world we lived in, but it’s not (yet). People will likely treat me differently because of this. I’ll get the ever-talked-about looks of pity. Some people will talk behind my back about it and others will use this as evidence that I am not capable of handling stressful situations. Oh! and my favorite- that I cannot support others if I have a mental illness. It’s bull. Here’s the thing: I’ve been through hell and back- and this, this panic attack it’s awful but it ends. They always do. It doesn’t come even close to the worst of what I’ve overcome.

But fuck ’em, this post isn’t for them. It’s for you. It’s for those with mental illness. It’s for those working tirelessly to fight the stigma. I am more than my mental illness and so are you.  There are those who are fighting for normalization. They’re there, I promise. I’ve met professors, social workers, pastors, and everyday people who want nothing more than a world where we can talk about mental illness and not feel shame. Seek them out; find a community that supports you and raises you up because you aren’t defined by our mental illness.

You and I deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and love. You are not alone.