* This post has been written by our previous Social Media Manager. *

There is a common misconception in our society that mental health shouldn’t be treated as urgently as physical health. You get told that you’re just being ‘overly dramatic’ or seeking attention when having an anxiety or panic attack; that you’re lazy if you don’t get out of bed every day. Or you just need to 'forget it and move on' if you’re left traumatised by an event in your life – even if it was years ago. Or that you’re ‘crazy’ if you’re hallucinating.

You want to do nothing but scream or cry, but you just can’t get it out. You keep it secret from your loved ones because you don’t want to feel like a burden. Even just writing out the words on a piece of paper and scrunching it up can sometimes be deflating. You sometimes believe it yourself.

“It’s all in your head!”

But isn’t that the point?

Unfortunately, this is the reality for so many people in the world living with one or more mental illnesses. The attitude surrounding disabilities of the mind is harmful and stigmatising on so many levels. It’s not taken seriously enough to warrant empathy from neurotypical people. Living with a mental disability is like walking straight into a gladiator battle and being pitted against a swarm of ferocious, hungry lions and violent experienced gladiators. And you’re just the amateur on the pitch. Sometimes your luck and willpower overcome these obstacles and you end up triumphant. Other times, you just don’t have the energy to fight, and you ultimately lose.