You know mental health is just as important as anything else in your life, maybe even more important. Mental health doesn't deserve the stigma attached to it. People deserve to be able to talk about it without people running away, without people looking at you differently. That's why today's so important. Today is about bringing awareness to mental health and mental illnesses.

This is from The Latest Kate Blog

A few weeks ago my friend and I were talking about life, complaining about all of it's little problems when all of a sudden we found ourselves talking about depressions and the like. I can count on one hand how many people I've talking about my mental health illness. I don't like to talk about it because whenever I did people looked at me differently, treated me differently, which made me feel even more isolated and even more alone. As time went on, I got lucky, I found people that are accepting to be my friends. But that doesn't make it any easier to tell them about, to talk to them about, because the stigma is still there. And honestly its absolutely ridiculous.

I was watching a video, and i'll post the link here, and in the people in the video talked about how the hardest part of it all was the stigma. Mental illness is a thing, It's real. And it sucks just as much as any physical ailment. Suicide is still the third leading cause of death, 90% of those deaths had an underlying mental health issue. That says something. Mental illness isn't something that just goes away, it's not something we can pretend doesn't exist. People line up to sign casts, create get well cards but as soon as anxiety, depression, an eating disorder comes up, they leave. In some places people with mental health problems are abused and stripped of human rights.

This is from The Latest Kate Blog

Mental illness has this way of making people feel isolated people don't need to help with that. 1 in 4 adults suffer from a mental illness, so that means that even if you don't have one, the people around you might. Just because people seem fine doesn't mean they're fine. Just because people suffer from a mental illness doesn't give any one the ability to take away basic human rights. Just because people have mental health problems doesn't mean every one needs to run away. Some people just don't understand mental illness and don't see it as a real thing. We need days like today to educate those who don't know much about this, to bring awareness, and ultimately destroy the stigma attached to it. "People with anxiety aren't rude, people with depression aren't lazy, people with mental illness aren't crazy", I saw this quote and I just thought it was perfect for this post and that it is incredibly true.

The stigma doesn't make it any easier to get better. It makes people embarrassed to get help, to reach out, to even talk about it. I know I was afraid for a really long time to go into therapy, but trust me it's really helpful. I'm lucky, in that I'm part of a program that allows me free therapy through my school system. Not everybody has that chance. If you can, you should take advantage of it. If you don't, find an adult you trust, a friend maybe, a counselor, because reaching out to people who aren't going to stigmatize you or marginalize you, is going to help. There also hotlines and websites you can visit where you can talk about what you need to get off your chest. Here are a couple : IMAlive, 7 Cups of Tea.

We also need to focus on helping individuals with mental health issues, finding even better ways to treat them. We need to make these treatments available to everybody. We need to help those in countries that mistreat them.

That being said, I also wanted to talk about the things that can help with mental illness. Music is incredibly helpful, so is a hot cup of tea (if you have anxiety don't have caffeine, it makes it worse). Mindfulness is great, I don't do it enough, but it definitely helps: Pocket Mindfulness. Sometimes it even helps for me to hold ice cubes in my hand. Yoga helps too because it calms me down and gets me to a calm state. Part of living with a mental health issue is learning how to cope. (Here is a little post on how to cope wit mental illness.)

Just know that you are not alone, you are more than kind of awesome, you have survived this much and that means something. Sometimes just getting up in the morning is a great accomplishment. So breath and take care of yourself. Self care is important, it's not selfish, it's not stupid, its important, a priority. Here's a little interactive guide thing.
Take some time for yourself, and take care of yourself.

 Stay Awesome,

Dear Students,

      School. For a lot of people the word alone is enough to make us upset, angry, nervous. I get nervous. I'm about to be a junior and i can't tell you how nerve wreaking it is to even think about what school is going to be like this year. This is the year that counts the most. The year that I'm betting everything on. And if it doesn't go well i can kiss going to my dream college goodbye. Maybe I sound melodramatic and whatever but the thing is there is so much pressure on every student to do well, because college. And it's crazy to think that we're living our teen years in our room, locked away from the world outside because we have tests and projects and let's not forget the drama the inevitably comes with having friends.For my brother, he's going into high school with no friends, and that's tough. I went through it and it's not something i would wish on anyone. But you're never the new kid for long, and you will find a good group of people you like or at least can tolerate.
       It's a lot for anyone but we deal with it because we have to. I know that school sucks sometimes and it's stressful 99% of the time. I just wanted to let you know that it's okay to stress cry and have panic attacks and freak out. I know what it's like to feel like your drowning and your stuck and oh so lost. I get it and it's a terrible feeling. I'm sure you've been through it to. Let me just tell you this. If you honestly feel like this, then please stop what your doing and please take care of yourself. One bad grade isn't going to define you, one mistake isn't going to hold you back unless you let it. You have to remember that even when you feel like the ground is coming apart at your feet that you are more that whatever is going on at school. You are who you want to be. School plays a part in you life but it doesn't define you. If it's one in fucking morning and your tired and your sad go eat chocolate, or sleep, or read. Do something for you because trust me as important as school is, your health and well being is more important. Remember that for me.
       High school sucks and it's not something the majority of us look forward to. But  please try. It'll all be worth it when your doing what you want to do with you life. And if you don't know what it is you want to do, it's okay. I'm about to get cheesy. Not that I have't been cheesy, but i'm admitting it right now. Life is about molding yourself into what you want. I sound like a walking hallmark card, but it's true. I hope that you understand that everything you do helps build your character. If you mess up, you learn to not mess up so bad next time, if your sad, then you learn how to cope. If you try new things, who knows you might discover you like apple pie more than a vanilla cupcake. So try everyday, because you can't regret it. The worst that can happen is a bad day.  Also don't let anyone make you feel bad because your bad day isn't as bad as someone else because you will still feel the way you feel regardless. Every one has their own problems so respect that you might not always know what someone else is going through. And in the words of the very wise Eeyore"The nice thing about rain is that it always stops. Eventually".
      For those of us who don't like school because of the people there, just remember that at the end of the day their words are just words. Don't give those horrible utterances power, because the words or the people who say it don't deserve. If it helps, remember that they will probably serve you fries in the future. Or better yet you'll have such a great life after high school you won't even remember their names. Embrace your weirdness. My sister told me that your weirdness is ultimately what makes you, you and not just another carbon cut out of what everyone else wants to be. So be you. And if you like wearing all black, go for it, if you like having hot pink hair, go for it, if you like girls, awesome, if you like boys, awesome, if you have no idea, you'll figure it out I promise. Real family and true friends will love you for whoever it is you are and will accept you regardless.
     I probably sound like dramatic or over the top, but the thing is I know so many people who just hate school and hate what comes with it and all i want is to help or let you know that no matter what you need to put yourself first and be good to yourself. For me I have really bad panic attacks, and I have to deal with it every day. Granted that has to do more with me than with school, but school doesn't help. And i just figured that if somehow someone read this and was like "i get this" and feel better about themselves or things they've done than I've done something good. Whether you feel nervous or angry or lost or unsure or whatever it is your feeling its okay because somehow things will work out. You will make things work out for you. So yeah.
       All in all good luck to you, my friend. Be awesome and be who you are because you can be. It's that simple. people just like to complicate things. So study hard, take care of yourself, and have a good school year and remember you will survive and you can do this!

All the best,