One year ago today, I stood in the lobby of the Child and Adolescent Center of Rogers Memorial Hospital. There were lime green balloons, streamers, and decorations everywhere. My roommate Rachel went to the front of the room to give the most amazing and inspiring speech I have ever heard. We were all brought together to celebrate Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.
It was a day full of laughter, smiles, and even happy tears. We all came together to celebrate something we had in common: we all had a mental disorder and we were battling it each day. I have never felt closer to so many people than I did that day. The inspiring stories of recovery, the tribute to the staff, and the fellowship of those so familiar with these types of struggles made the day incredibly special. That day helped me remember how lucky I was to receive the help that I needed when so many people out there don't receive help.
That is why today has been difficult for me. It is hard to live in a society where so many people don't understand what it is like to be crippled by mental illness. Even though no one will ever truly understand what I am going through, I know that people are trying to help. I am thankful to attend a school that helped make mental health awareness a big deal today. My PALs class and I showed our support by getting students to wear lime green (the color for mental health awareness). It was a beautiful tribute to mental health.
Since today is all about Children's Mental Health Awareness, I have reflected a bit on my own time as a child. My experiences as a child with OCD were beyond difficult. Whether I was struggling with the need to keep my room "perfect" at all times or having to wash my hands every time someone near me sneezed or even tapping each thing I bumped into sixteen times, I always felt hopeless. Even as a young child, I knew I was different and I knew my issues weren't normal. I struggled for nearly two decades before I was able to get help. It was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I worked my butt off to get better and it is a constant battle every single day.
Mental health is often pushed to the side because there is a common misconception that it isn't as important as physical health. This could not be more false. We all need to stand together to bring awareness to this subject. Mental illness has the ability to be completely debilitating. Some even argue that mental illness is even worse than terminal illness because it never ends. You are stuck with your disorder for life, so we need to stand up and help give those people suffering a better tomorrow.
It was a day full of laughter, smiles, and even happy tears. We all came together to celebrate something we had in common: we all had a mental disorder and we were battling it each day. I have never felt closer to so many people than I did that day. The inspiring stories of recovery, the tribute to the staff, and the fellowship of those so familiar with these types of struggles made the day incredibly special. That day helped me remember how lucky I was to receive the help that I needed when so many people out there don't receive help.
That is why today has been difficult for me. It is hard to live in a society where so many people don't understand what it is like to be crippled by mental illness. Even though no one will ever truly understand what I am going through, I know that people are trying to help. I am thankful to attend a school that helped make mental health awareness a big deal today. My PALs class and I showed our support by getting students to wear lime green (the color for mental health awareness). It was a beautiful tribute to mental health.
Since today is all about Children's Mental Health Awareness, I have reflected a bit on my own time as a child. My experiences as a child with OCD were beyond difficult. Whether I was struggling with the need to keep my room "perfect" at all times or having to wash my hands every time someone near me sneezed or even tapping each thing I bumped into sixteen times, I always felt hopeless. Even as a young child, I knew I was different and I knew my issues weren't normal. I struggled for nearly two decades before I was able to get help. It was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I worked my butt off to get better and it is a constant battle every single day.
Mental health is often pushed to the side because there is a common misconception that it isn't as important as physical health. This could not be more false. We all need to stand together to bring awareness to this subject. Mental illness has the ability to be completely debilitating. Some even argue that mental illness is even worse than terminal illness because it never ends. You are stuck with your disorder for life, so we need to stand up and help give those people suffering a better tomorrow.