Mental health is health

These pieces are meant to bring awareness to common mental health struggles that many of us can feel to some degree. They represent the emotions that I have felt in my life that have held me back from making connections with others and have caused damage to my self-esteem. These pieces specifically show what social anxiety and insecurity looks like- shyness, afraid to talk, afraid to be myself, overly insecure, feeling inadequate and unworthy of success, trying too hard to please the world and fit into a mold, overly self-conscious about everything I do, overthinking what to say and who to be, feeling unheard and invisible. 

There were times that I felt like nothing good could ever happen to me and that I could never overcome what was keeping me down. I am happy to say that art healed me. It forced me to put myself out there regardless of the response. I am proud of who I am and am no longer ashamed to exist. I am here, I am whole, and I have everything I need.

While there are many things wrong in our world today, I can say that I am grateful for living in this time. A time when it is becoming “normal” to treat mental health as just “health”. We are more aware ever now that our minds need care and I am grateful for this. We should never ostracize or label anyone who seeks help for their mental well-being. I am happy that more people in today’s day and age are realizing how to see the world for themselves and are making their own judgement on how we should live. More people are realizing that we can refuse to follow behaviors and lifestyles that others do, just because “it’s what you do”. And that that is not enough of a reason to do anything.