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Mental illness strives to hold your mind and body hostage. Lying motionless is the only way to cope. My body aches and screams and every limb feels too heavy to control. Phantom bolts of pain shoot throughout my frame. My heart palpitates and nausea falls heavily upon my stomach. Thoughts are clouded and the mind confused. Yet over all of the chaos, all I can hear are my muddled anxious and melancholy ruminations. Either the idea of eating is dreadful or eating is my only comfort. I was feeble and emotionally drained.

What can I do in this situation? Mental illness makes my body weak from the physically agonizing sensations but there is nothing physically wrong with me. My body, visually supple and strong, gives no hint of the pain it carries. How can I share that I’m ill and in need of mercy from those who rely on me and my craft? One may say that I’m not physically ill but mentally but these two are so intertwined.

1. Your mind and body are one

My body is directly influenced by my mind and my mind is influenced by my body. These two instances of my being are not separate. While one is visible, the product of the other is highly evident. People always think of the mind as a disembodied spirit somehow connected to the body. But let’s remember although the firing of the brain’s synapses seems so mechanical, it is the physical display of the internal thoughts and emotions. Don’t dismiss your feelings as invalid because the physical representation is hidden behind bone and flesh. Your emotions and feelings are valid and can be an outward display of your physical wellbeing.

2. You are not crazy

Many times I fight aggressive ruminating thoughts, sometimes as if they are voices of their own that negate the positive aspects of life or attempt to prove the worthlessness of my existence. When those feelings infect your being, they are valid. Now the negativity you feel and how your body is responding to some part of your environment is real but know the voices are not true. Mental illness will battle to be your ultimate nemesis. The fact that your mind is attacking you does not mean that it has won or will ever win. Obstacles almost always seem bigger when we see it from a viewpoint of isolation.

3. Seek help.

Any mental illness feels nearly impossible to fight alone. Many times suffering from an illness so stigmatized, people withdraw into themselves and try to hide the struggles they are facing. Although there are many people who don’t understand mental illness or want to have compassion for it, there are many more who do. Finding a psychiatrist and a counselor to help work through my issues has literally been a lifesaver.

It has helped me grow and achieve what my depression and anxiety were bent on destroying. Also, the help and support of a community of people, those who also suffer from mental illness and those who have supported me regardless, have built such a strong foundation for me. I still suffer from the torments of my mind but I have systems to combat it and others to lift me up when I’m struggling the most.









I often struggle with mental illness but please do not let it be the dictator of your life. Everyone who suffered has varying levels of struggle, different issues, and different ways of coping. Finding a way to manage everything can seem daunting but establishing a strong foundation and support system you can rely on can help you from hitting the lowest of lows and provide help for picking yourself up and striving in the future. There is hope. Don’t let the demons of your mind convince you otherwise.

Who Can Help



1. National Institute of Mental Health

2. Mental Health.Gov

3. Suicide Prevention Hotline

4. National Alliance on Mental Illness

How Can Loved Ones Help



How to Help Loved Ones with Mental Illness

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