Madelynn Walker, Dallas, TX
It’s World Mental Health Day and even though I believe everyday is mental health day, I wanted to highlight that it’s okay to not be okay. Mental health is such a taboo subject and we all tend to neglect our mental health and see it as less important than our physical health. Why? I am healthy and happy physically, but mentally I’ve never been content with myself. Never. Just because my body doesn’t react physically doesn’t make my mental health any less important. We are so hard on ourselves everyday, we push ourselves past the breaking point and never believe that we deserve to love ourselves wholeheartedly. But what you feel is important and it matters in this world. It doesn’t matter how big or small what your feeling is, it’s not a competition. Never discard your feelings because you believe that it isn’t important enough, or that you’re being selfish for trying to seek help. It’s not easy fighting with your inner demons and it’s most definitely not easy overcoming them. Everyone’s different and we all have the right to not feel right. It’s as simple as that. I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of mental health, but even I only seek for help or decide to make a change when I reach my breaking point. Why do I think lesser of my own mental health when I don’t think anyone else is lesser for their own? There is nothing wrong with having personal problems and it doesn’t make you any less grateful for what you have in your life. There’s a quote I love, “Conscious action is all a result of involuntary, subconscious thought and conditioning. There’s always a deeper psychological reason to people’s actions, which is why we try not to judge but instead understand.” We never know what someone’s going through, so be kind to one another. Lift each other up. And be kind to yourself. It’s not easy, but life is much better when you are.
