Our struggles are real ;

Everyone struggles in life, everyone knows struggles are a part of life. Unfortunately for someone who suffers from a mental illness the struggles aren't just the normal struggles everyone goes through, but added to the normal struggles are the triggers that set off their mental illness. Everyone's triggers are different and the way they affect people are different. My triggers are ones that are super hard to avoid because they are things in everyday life. My triggers affect everything I do once I am triggered. The second my trigger comes into my world I shut down, I have night terrors, flashbacks, I cry myself to sleep at night because the pain of remembering the events that cause certain things to be my triggers are too much to bare, I close myself off from everyone because in all reality no one will ever understand what is happening in my head. People who do not suffer from a mental illness think that we are overreacting or just being dramatic, but for the ones who struggle the pain and intense emotions that come with triggers are real and emotional and sometimes are too much to handle. For those of us who are struggling, we aren't looking for anyone's attention, we aren't trying to be the center of anyone's world, but for some reason, that's what people think. People think we are just acting this way for attention, that we self-harm to get everyone's attention on us, the reality of this is that it is not true. We do not commit suicide for attention, we do not self-harm for attention, we do it because the pain and hurt we are feeling are too much to handle, we do it because, in all honesty, the pain of running a blade over your skin takes away the pain that's in our heart and mind. It may seem dramatic, it may seem crazy or stupid to those who do not struggle, but for those of us who struggle it is a way to cope with our pain. Is it unhealthy, yes it is, is it the best way to cope, of course it's not, is it your job to tell someone who is struggling this, NO it is not! Your job as their family, friend, love, anything is to let them know your here for them, to let them know if they are struggling you are there to help them in any way that you can, your job is to get them help whether they want it or not, because the price to be paid for not getting someone help is potential with their life! Your jobs as loved ones are to show them that you care when they need you the most and the times when they act like they don't need you at all. So be there, be the one they know they can call anytime day or night and say I need help or I'm struggling. Those are things we need the most is to know that there are people who may not understand, but still show that they care, that they are not going to judge us for feeling the things we do, that will be there to help us get through the worst of the worst days and to know that when we come out of those days those people will still be there loving us for who we are and understanding our mental illness does not define us, but will always be a part of who we are.

So this is me, my mental illness will always be apart of me and I am here learning to be okay with who I am and knowing that in the end I will keep living, keep surviving and trust me you can too! You are stronger than you think you are ;