((( SIDE NOTE: I was kind of scared about posting this one, because not everybody has seen the raw side of mental health, but realistically it needs to be talked about and shared.. this may shock people but truthfully mental illness isn't a pretty sight... )))
Everyday we tend to make poor assumptions about people based on what they’re wearing or looking like.. But people need to remember that there’s no “look” to mental illness. Anyone can have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personal disorder or whatever else. Just because I don’t look sick doesn’t mean I’m not struggling. In the first photo just because I look fairly “normal” doesn’t mean that I don’t have a mental illness or doesn’t mean I’m not struggling. My smile is a lot bigger in the second, however this is where around a year ago I was contemplating taking my life, my eyes are ruined from an OD, my face is scarred with self injuries, however I’ve got a smile? That shouldn’t be right, I can’t be “depressed” if I’m smiling can I ??? WRONG. This is the danger of thinking mental illness has a “look”, this is how stigma affects those who are poorly. You don’t have to look a certain way to be depressed. You don’t have to be at your worse before you get help. You don’t need to justify to anyone why you need help. And you don’t ever ever need to apologise for struggling. What you should do is get help if you’re struggling, talk to someone, ring 116 123 Or just simply raise awareness #worldsuicideprevention
I think one thing I would love someone to take from reading this post, is to be aware that you don't have to look a certain way to be struggling with mental health, you don't ever know someones situations based on what they look like.