Thanks for this post. I think many are hard on themselves for mental illess. I totally appreciate what u have said.

There is a stigma that does come with mental illness. I have seen it way too much. It makes it even harder for ones that suffer to deal with.

I have tried to hide it for fear of judgements. In my family, emotions were not allowed. We were SEVERELY punished for expressing anything negative. I would hide when I was feeling sad, scared, angry......list goes on. My secret spot was my closet. I did go outside in the dark so I could hide and just break down. I would rock back and forth like a helpless little girl. This was my release. I think this is why I have such a hard time focusing on what I need to to start healing. I grew up to learn my own way to cope with these feelings, how to hide things; from fear. I gave others what they expected of me. Now its all hitting me fast and hard. How do we deal with this all at once? I put on my happy face, my pretend outlook on life. But here you all know what Justy feels and I am thankful for this. I would have exploded by now if I was not able to express these emotions.

Mental illness needs to be recongized to the truth of what it does to people. I know it has come out more and more. Maybe oneday it will be empathized when they hear our voices and our cries for a happier, healthier life.

Justy