Mental Illness Isn't 'Cute' Or 'Quirky' — It's My Life
If I could describe my mental illness as anything, it would have to be "dreadful" and "painful."
Rawpixel.com / shutterstock By Tylia Flores
Dealing with a mental illness is one of the hardest and longest journeys that one could ever go through.
Those who suffer from a mental condition go through several days at a time of brain fog, anxiousness, and sadness. They constantly feel like they’re battling a war within themselves.
But I’ve noticed that more and more people seem to believe that dealing with the struggles of my mental illness is quirky and cute.
My mental illnesses aren’t cute or quirky — they are my life. They constantly take over my mind and my ability to do the things that a woman in her mid-20s would like to do, such as going out with friends or going to college or traveling.
As you can see, this isn’t the cutest thing that could happen to someone. Because of people who call my mental illness "quirky," I constantly feel like the world doesn’t understand me.
A mental illness is something we constantly feel. We feel like we have to fake a smile and pretend that everything’s OK.
But more often than not, it’s hard to do that, and things aren’t what they seem to be.
My mental illness is a part of my everyday life, and it has been for as long as I can remember. Every day is a struggle just to wake up and actually be happy and act like everything is OK.
In reality, though, it’s the most terrifying thing anyone can go through on a day-to-day basis.
One of the reasons why it’s so scary is that you don’t know what can or will trigger you each and every day.
There’s nothing cute or quirky about the nerve-wracking feeling you get when you have to think about how to perform a certain task.
It makes you feel alone and misunderstood by the whole world. I have no choice but to accept that reality of my life, which isn’t funny or quirky.
If I could describe my mental illness as anything, it would have to be "dreadful" and "painful."
I don’t know what tomorrow or even today might bring and what I’ll be capable of doing because of the numerous obstacles I have to overcome each and every day.
Part of my life is constantly worrying about the things I have in store for me.
This also includes worrying about my loved ones and them worrying about me. And there’s nothing cute and quirky about that.
Ultimately, I think people should think about how they approach people with mental illness. They should think about the misconceptions they have and that they are never true.
Nothing about mental illness is cute.
Tylia Flores is an author, and a writer for Unwritten and Digital Fox. She writes primarily on topics of relationships and lifestyle. Visit her author profile on Unwritten for more of her work.