i
’
m so proud to say that i
’
ve come a long way since my diagnosis. i
’
m in a much calmer and rational
mindset
and am a lot more functional. i’m able to eat again, keep up with remote classes and work, hang out with friends, go shopping, go to the movies, and drive locally. i still struggle with anxiety on a daily basis and there
are still
many things that i
’
m working towards with my therapist, such eating in restaurants, taking public transportation, going into the city, travelling, and getting on a plane. that last one probably won’t be for a while but mark my words, there will come a day when i’m eating pasta and drinking wine somewhere beautiful in italy.
don’t do what i did and wait until you are in crisis to get help
the main thing i would say to someone who’s not super educated on mental health is that those who suffer with mental health conditions cannot control their symptoms. i think there’s this fundamental misunderstanding regarding mental illness that because it produces primarily psychological symptoms, that these are somehow within the sufferer’s control or their fault. that could not be further from the truth. these are diseases of the brain, which is the seat of who you are. when this stops functioning properly, everything in your life comes to a screeching halt. and this can happen to anyone, from any walk of life. no one is immune.
to anyone struggling with mental illness themselves, what i’ve realized and what i want to remind you is that when you
’
re mentally ill, you
’
re not thinking straight, you’re not seeing the big picture, and worst of all, you can
’
t control your symptoms on your own. you can
’
t fix something that
’
s broken, with broken tools. you need outside help. it’s not going to be easy, and you’re going to have a lot of ups and downs, but you can and will get better. and, if possible, don’t do what i did and wait until you are in crisis and completely unable to function to get help. everyone can benefit from mental health support.