Your Mental Health Matters-- and Here's Why.

This week is #MentalHealthAwareness week and it couldn't have come at a better time. As the seasons start to change and people's moods change as well, everyone is feeling like they're in a slump.

I'm not just saying these things because I think it matters and everyone else is talking about it so I should too. No. Mental health matters. Whether it be you, a friend, a family member or a significant other, someone is struggling with their mental health.

As a student, more specifically a person, your mental health is the most important aspect of yourself. Your relationships with others rely on your well-being and you being your best self. Being simply put, you matter just as much as everyone else.

What is Mental Health?

Here's a quick video that explains what mental health is and the wide scope that it covers.

You Are Not Alone

There are certain things that I have been battling over the past three years that makes it difficult for me to be me. Never in my life have I had such strong feelings about not being enough. The people I’ve surrounded myself with are finding love and finding themselves while I feel that I am at a standstill. Every day I wake up and just feel like I am walking this earth without a purpose.

I’ve dealt with many things over the years, but I would just suppress those feelings; however, recently every feeling that I have suppressed over the past five years, is resurfacing making daily life more difficult and stressful. The bubbly personality that many of my friends are familiar with is fading and is slowly blending into my surroundings. I don’t feel sparks nor do I stand out in a crowd.

I am losing every part of me which makes it even harder to push every day to be great. Lately, I have been selling myself short on being happy and enjoying the things that make me, me. Many of my friends here in Madison have only seen one side of me: a raw cut of my personality that is very blunt and distant from associating feeling and emotions with people on personal levels.

Those around me are very comfortable with telling me things because I am not a judgmental person, however, I feel more judged now in my life that I ever have. Everything I do is under the careful eye of those around me, and I know that it is affecting them, but the toll it is taking on me is at such a greater magnitude because of this knowledge. Many don’t take the time to recognize how their actions affect others and it may not seem as though I know, but I am aware of this effect.

My depression and anxiety are more dynamic and complex than I’ll ever understand, but I am trying to be best that I can be while also fighting until my last breath to be extraordinary. With taking the steps of starting therapy and the support from family and friends, I know that I will be able to come on top and be the best version of me.

You Are Worth It

No matter how down you get, never forget your purpose. You're not just a space-filler, you have an important role on this earth whether you think you do or not. Your life is just as important as the next person and you should never forget that.

Music tends to speak to me more than any words that have been spoken to me. So here's a song that I've listened to since 2004. Unwritten is a very uplifting song that helps me remember my worth.

You Matter.

When it comes to your mental health, it's okay to be selfish. If you don't take the time to put yourself first, others can't get the best version of you. Taking the time to get to know yourself and know what works for you is crucial to understanding yourself.

Twitter Personality, Demetrius Harmon, is a mental health advocate. He has dubbed the phrase "you matter," and uses it as a platform to help end the stigma around mental health. "You Matter" is on every article of clothing that he produces, it's a little reminder that no matter what you go through, you always have a place.

Here's a documentary that Harmon produced that explains his struggles with mental illness along with different viewpoints across many demographics.

Your story is unfinished and you have the power to write and change your story to be whatever you want it to be.

"Promise me you'll remember: you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" - Christopher Robin to Pooh