It's easy....

It's easy to lose yourself.

Get lost in your negatives until you're bobbing up and down in a sea of self hate.

All you see is the bad things, both true and imagined, you're:

Dumb.

Ugly.

Fat.

Lazy.

Invisible.

Worthless....and the list is endless.

If you're lucky you'll escape this place you're found yourself in. If you're not, the darkness will linger....

It doesn't discriminate, striking people of all shapes and sizes - from all walks of life.

People try to understand, try to help.

Others would prefer to run a mile than acknowledge there's such a thing. If they ignore it, it'll go away.

In the meantime people continue to struggle, kicking and screaming their way back to the light.

Asking for help is not an easy thing. The stigma and fear associated with mental illness means that for some, they will surrender and be lost to us.

Mental illness is real.

We need to admit that and start doing something about it rather than sticking our heads in the sand.

Mental illness

Mental illness is something that needs to be talked about more. There still seems to be huge stigma attached to it and I think with information comes understanding and acceptance.

The more we know, the more we can remove the mystery and see that in the majority of cases, sufferers are just people who, while needing a little extra support, just want to be treated like everyone else.

The toll on the family and friends of someone suffering from a mental illness can be huge. By engaging in conversation, we can also help lift the burden on these people.

I think by opening up and sharing our stories, we can change perceptions and help remove the prejudices that exist.