I am posting this with a couple of agendas in mind; a) to start a dialogue on mental health and raise awareness b) hopefully help people understand and take this issue seriously c) to encourage people to be more sensitive, receptive, and compassionate.

Trigger Warning: This post is about anxiety, loneliness, depression, etc. If these topics make you uncomfortable or if it upsets you or if you do not wish to read and engage, you can maybe skip this one ^_^

Mental illness is hard because how do you run away from something that's inside your mind? It's even harder to explain/put in words because there are just so many feelings and emotions. It's an amusement park of feelings in your mind that runs 24*7.

There's anxiety that makes you feel like you cannot breathe, cannot feel your face, and any minute now you're going to throw up. Then there are times when you feel like you're drowning and no one's really bothered. They can all see you going deeper and deeper, reaching out for help, but there is no help coming!

You feel small, invisible, insignificant. Like you're playing the extra in someone else's life. Helpless. Also, lonely. What if nobody remembers you after you're gone? What if they don't even notice that you're gone?

It can also get tiring. Day in and day out, wearing your "brave" or "happy" masks and going about your day as if all is A-Ok. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Like I said, there's a carnival going on in this mind and these emotions are just a few of the top rides.

Buy a ticket, get in line, take a good look around, for you might identify with some of these emotions or know someone who needs help!

Here are a few links that might/might not help but no harm checking them out : 
1. http://www.tiss.edu/…/icall-telephonic-counselling-service…/
2. http://thelivelovelaughfoundation.org/

3. http://www.parivartanfoundation.com/