Anxiety and depression are real problems young adults face. So why do we question and brush off the issue? I think it’s because we’re uncomfortable confronting the fact that we all deal with mental health issues, some more severe than others. That discomfort stops us from having the conversation, but the conversation creates a connection between each other. We all experience anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and stress on some level, so we likely want to feel understood in these feelings. Well, we’re doing ourselves no favors by turning a blind eye to others in need. And I understand, we don’t always see that someone is in need. Mental health issues are hard to address, and society pressures us to think we should not address these issues.
There are days where I feel like nothing can go wrong and I’m invincible. Other days I’m one critical comment from falling apart and not leaving my bed. Those days I can barely leave my bed, I’m struggling. I go about my day as if everything is fine, but really I just want to be done. Inside, I go to a place where I begin to question myself and why I am not better. The place where I feel like I have no purpose and the world is actually crushing me. The place where I don’t know why I do any of the things I do because all I can ask myself is “Why do you even matter?” Other people feel the same way at times, which is both reassuring and sad. Reassuring in that I know I’m not alone with these feelings. Knowing other people struggle with these feelings is sad because no one should feel like this.