An Open Letter To Anyone Suffering From Mental Illness

You were once vibrant and alive
You knew who you were and understood that your heart beat for a reason
But somewhere along the way, depression, bipolar disorder, and the voices in your head…
They took over and removed your soul from your chest
Slowly, as the skin raises up and the blood of life drains from your veins
They never told you, if you lived sometimes the hardest battle would be the one with your mind
They never told you that people would judge, question, and underestimate you
Without knowing that you fight every single day just to be alive
Just to make your mark known in the midst of your heartache and in the midst of your hurt
It is no easy fight to fight a mind that has made you feel all alone
Forgotten about
It takes you to the brink then back again
It takes a beautiful woman with a purpose and turns her into a lost soul
A man with strength and the utmost power, into a man searching for his armour
Mental illness is a battle
A daily fight, a daily task that you know only if you have been where darkness lies
It scares and comforts you at the same time
Because you know
Somehow you are not alone
Somehow you are not the only one floating upwards on an ocean that refuses to let you sink, but does anyway
I hear your cries
I know you ache to smile and I know you wish someone understood that you are trying
That you are fighting
I want you to know that I see you
I want you to know that you matter
I want you to know that you have made it through another day so congratulations on another win
But most importantly, I want you to know who I am in all of this
Through all of this
I am YOU.