It may have become a trend or something to make us seem “special” or simply to draw attention, but mental illnesses are so much more than just a post on Facebook or a Boomerang on Instagram.

We cannot deny that in our community, mental health is a subject that we deal with carelessly;

“Man up” “Stop being soft” “Enough drama” “That’s nothing” “It’ll pass”

That neglect made mental problems thrive either within us or within the people around us, and sadly, we are barely noticing them.

I’m not a specialist, but let’s take a moment to describe some of the most common disorders:

Depression: You know those days where you feel like you’re done with everyone and everything? When you lose interest in everyday activities, and all you have is the feeling of hopelessness? You distance yourself from the people around you, and it’s just a matter of time until everything just comes back to normal. Now imagine going through that, with more severe signs, in a continuous loop, no ending, your whole life.

Anxiety: Remember that feeling you get when you have to make an important call or that time when you had to stand up in front of a crowd of people. Yes, that feeling of discomfort, nausea, sickness… whatever you may think of. Now again, imagine going through that in every small situation.

Imagine being responsible for even 1% of someone’s discomfort, words are highly powerful, so let’s pick them wisely and put more effort into what we say or do.

For everyone else out there who thinks that they’re not worth it, here’s something that you might not hear that often: YOUR MIND MATTERS and YOU MATTER.