I need - and at this moment I really do mean need - to address the "you are not alone aspect" of mental illness, because it can be one vicious double-edged sword. #MentalHealthMatters https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">

Of course it& #39;s helpful to know that mental illness is real & other people also experience it. But it can also be a cue to guilt when you see people who are supposedly going through the same thing as you doing so much more with their lives than you are. #MentalHealthMatters https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">

Then it switches over from "you& #39;re not alone" to "you& #39;re not as good as your peers." It makes your - screw it, let& #39;s talking about what we& #39;re talking about - it makes MY failures feel like the result of weakness on my part. #MentalHealthMatters https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">

Instead of denying my mental illness, now I& #39;m just judging myself for not handling it better. For not pushing myself harder. For not getting any closer to being someone with a full-time job, and for accepting that instead of fighting to change it. #MentalHealthMatters https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">

This is what has a hold of me today. I& #39;m mostly sharing it because I need to for my own sake, but if anyone out there is feeling worse about their mental illness BECAUSE they& #39;re not alone then, well, you& #39;re not alone in that, either. #MentalHealthMatters https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">