The Silent Suffering of Living with a Mental Illness

Healing takes a village

Photo by Dc Lovensky on Unsplash

1 in 5 people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Telling our stories and speaking out is a courageous act and much easier said than done.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and for many of us we may listen in silence.

We may sit on the sidelines and observe without ever saying a word about our own suffering.

For many of us we will hide our struggles about mental illness out of fear, shame and embarrassment.

For years I suffered in silence about my depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

On the outside I appeared strong and resilient but on the inside I was barely breathing.

I was too ashamed to talk about what I couldn’t even begin to face or make sense of.

It was just a jumbled mess inside my head that I tucked away in the corners of my mind.

My mental health was suffering and I was avoiding getting help.