Growing up in a home where mental health was rarely discussed, I never had an obvious understanding of how to deal with and express my emotions clearly and effectively. While I was growing up, I felt as if I was alone in the world. My feelings were always kept to myself; when my emotions became unbearable, I would lash out at innocent people in an attempt to stop my suffering. I always felt as though I was overreacting and never expressed my feelings to anyone. As I became increasingly isolated, I found myself drifting further and further away from my closest family and friends. After a while, I stopped putting as much effort into my studies as I used to and eventually grew to fail. My belief began to grow that I was the only person in the world who could understand me. As a result, almost every relationship I had started to be ruined by my emotions. My awareness of this began to grow and I started to want to do better for myself as a result. I began to communicate my feelings effectively and I realized how much better I started to feel. I mended my relationships with my family and friends and finally began to feel as if I had a purpose and there were people to support me. For the first time in a while, I finally didn't feel alone. I started to do much better in school and I started to create goals for myself. As my mental health improved, I began to believe I could accomplish more with my life. I realized as I talk more about my emotions, life became a little bit easier because people finally understood me. Before I started understanding myself and expressing how I felt, the world was a very dark place. I drifted away from everyone I love, almost failed school, and had no aspirations in life. As I started to improve my well-being, my world finally became colorful again. My relationships are repaired, I am passing with flying colors and I know exactly what I want to do with my life.

During the course of their lifetime, more than half of all Americans will experience at least one mental illness. The stigma surrounding mental illness still persists, despite the fact that mental illness is one of the most common illnesses and can affect anyone. Mental illnesses have come a long way from where they used to be in terms of acceptance and understanding, but there is still much that can be improved and needs to be done in order to make these improvements. Illnesses associated with the mind are no different from illnesses related to the body. As a child growing up in a household where mental health wasn't discussed, in order to cope with my emotions and understand what I was feeling, I struggled a great deal to cope with it all. Anytime mental health was brought up, it was always boiled down to the fact that I was lazy and ungrateful. Being depressed by my parents equaled not being appreciative of what I had in life. As a result of this, I always felt as if my feelings weren't valid or that I was faking being depressed and having anxiety. My growth as a person has given me the opportunity to learn that my feelings are valid and real, and as a result, I have become better acquainted with myself, and I have begun to strive for better versions of myself as I grow older. Discussing mental health gave me the outlet to understand what I was going through and helped me realize that I am not alone in the world. It is important for me to have a good mental health in order for me to figure out who I am and where I come from. The journey I am on has led to me being more self-aware and I have begun journaling my thoughts and feelings every day as I work on myself. By doing this, I ensure that whatever I have experienced during the day does not remain bottled up within me. It has also become a habit of mine to spend a lot more time outside than I used to previously. As soon as I'm done with a stressful day, I find it helpful to spend some time outside to decompress and ground myself. Having a good mental health is important for me as it helps me understand myself and it helps me grow as a person. As I improve my mental health, I have grown out of unhealthy habits and started healthier ones. My mental health will forever be one of my top priorities.