An unwanted guest!

Let's talk about it. Nobody wants to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Even the best of us cringe at the thought. Like an unwanted guest who shows up out of the blue and takes over, ever-demanding, sucking the life force out of you. It drains you of your mental acumen and makes you feel helpless and, at times, hopeless. It latches on to your meninges like a parasite and conjures your worst nightmares. Like an all-consuming fire, it suffocates you until you can't breathe (sometimes very literally). And all I want is to be freed from this aberration which has made me a slave to my thoughts and feelings.

Try as you might, and as supportive as you believe you are, you cannot convince me that mental illness is a good thing. Am I a good person? Possibly. Am I a good mother? The jury's out on that. Do I have a good heart and a sharp mind? Yes, I believe I do. But am I a better person because of my mental illness? Most definitely not.

I will still go on to achieve things that most people won't bother to try. I will still show up for my children and be there to support them. But the ugly truth is that I'm facing each new day with a crippling, invisible disease. Mental illness kills... in every way possible.

You can tell me that most people with mental illness are intelligent, artistic, and have high IQ's. I. Don't. Care! I find that when people tell you it's OK to be diagnosed with a mental illness, it's because of one or more of the following:
1. They are ignorant on the subject;
2. They are minimizing your pain and suffering;
3. They are unsupportive in general.

Yes, some people do so unintentionally because they truly want to be supportive. But stop. Please. Just stop it.

Do not get me wrong... there is nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to mental illness. And I take stigma-busting very seriously. Which is why I want EVERYONE to understand that this is not something I asked for. My episodes are not something I am proud of. I am a whole person aside from my illness and I desire only to be seen for those qualities. I absolutely dislike feeling the way I do and I do not appreciate unsupportive "advice."

You may find this post offensive or harsh... and you are 100% entitled to your opinion. Feel free to comment below! But this is my blog and I'm spilling my heart out for all to hear. If I could have 3 wishes, you can bet one of them would be to free all those who are diagnosed with mental illness from their unwanted guest!