Stigmas & Skeletons in Our Closets

Depression, anxiety, addiction, mental illness, disease.

We struggle so often to talk about these “skeletons in our closets” or the true things in life we are going through.

Social media doesn’t make it any easier with its curated feeds of photo-shopped pics and perfection.

So this one goes out to those whose situations might be just a bit different. To those who maybe don’t have someone to send flowers to on a holiday- or maybe don’t even know where their loved one is to even reach out.

It takes courage to fight the stigma of mental illness- those who suffer from it and those who love someone & subsequently silently suffer with them.

But what you do need to know is that you’re not alone.

You most certainly are not alone.

My hope for you is that you hear that message & truly, deep down, believe it. It’s so important that we work to break these barriers down and start being real with each other.

After all, mental illness is a flaw in chemistry- not character.

When someone is diagnosed with cancer or some other disease, we flock to them in support. But when a person goes to rehab or struggles with mental illness (also a disease), it seems as though our inclination is to cover it up or go into hiding. Why do we do this to each other? To ourselves? It won’t be easy, but I pray that you may have the courage to acknowledge your feelings and find peace in whatever situation you may be facing.

You were not placed on this planet to be perfect- you were put here to be human.

And if that means asking for help, ask for help. If that means feeling sad, feel sad. Validate yourself & your current position on this journey we call life.

And finally, I would encourage you to be kind. Be kind to yourself & be kind to others.

There is a level of fear associated with honesty when it comes to things like this.

So often we lose sight of our own strength & in turn, continue to perpetuate this culture of silence. We have to stop. It truly is okay to be human.

And please, don’t ever ever forget, that life is tough sometimes, but so are you <3