What I want you to know: mental illness is not something you can fix

What I want you to know is that mental illness is not something you can fix. For close to a decade I’ve been living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It’s a medical condition like diabetes or high blood pressure. It doesn’t go away. Even when it’s treated, you still have it. Just like a diabetic on insulin still has diabetes, even though the symptoms are managed – I still have anxiety.

I still panic when one of my triggers strikes. I still find myself sitting on the floor in my bathroom, trying to get the tremors under control. I still have those days.

But I want you to know that if you’re fighting this (or any other mental illness) you’re not alone. I want you to know that we’re here for you. I want you to know that it’s ok to talk about it – when you do, you’ll find friends and loved ones who have it, too!

Mental illness gets stigmatized. Even I do it to myself! I’ll catch myself saying, “Well of course I think that, but I’m crazy, so maybe you should ask someone else if they do or not.” It reinforces to myself and to others that my opinions should be discounted – that I’m not “whole,” and therefore, not worthy of an opinion. Plus it implies that a mental illness means I can’t cope with the world.

That’s not true!!

I do cope with my world. Every day I get up, I go to work, I lead a perfectly normal life with my husband and daughter, and we do just fine. I pay the bills on time; I have a graduate degree; I serve in ministry in my church. But I cope differently than those for whom the world is not a day-in, day-out threat (perceived, of course).