For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with mental health issues. Living with mental illnesses is hard while being in school because you lose motivation to do work or even talk to people. Going to school and get ready ready every morning was a struggle. Never wanting to get out of bed and make an effort to make myself presentable so people don’t worry. Looking into the mirror and not liking what you see was one of my main struggles, I constantly tried to change myself so I was happy with my reflection. Although, nothing never satisfied me, so I kept changing. I changed my style, my weight, my body movements, almost all of it. Struggling with mental health is not an easy life, yes some people overcome it and become happy and normal again but, what about the people who don’t? We still sit in silence, try to not let people notice, take the pills every morning and night, and all the other precautions. We do this so people don’t worry about us, so they don’t ask questions, or tell someone who we don’t even know. We hide behind a mask so no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. I have been asked if I would rather life without mental illnesses to see if life would be easier, and I answered no. See I’ve grown up this way, constantly overthinking and being cautious of my every move or word. This is a normal life for me. I wouldn’t want to change it at all. It’s a part of who I am and I’ve accepted that. I’m okay with suffering in silence and not showing what I’m feeling. This is normal to me and I believe I can help other people who are seeking it because I’ve been there. So in conclusion, mental illness is normal to me and I wouldn’t want to live in a world without it. I found comfort in the dark and I believe that other people can too. That sounds bad but what I mean is that we can find comfort in our issues to hopefully resolve them and be better then we once were. Help calm down during the panic attacks, fight the urges that remind us we’re alive, to not put the period on the paper and end the story. That’s the world I want to live in.