After years of living with mental illness, I know one thing for sure: I am tired of being mentally ill. They say normal is boring, but I often find myself longing to be neurotypical. Honestly, I wouldn't wish mental illness on my worst enemy. I am so tired of being mentally ill.

Do you try to manage other people's feelings by trying to turn someone's frown upside down or calm down an angry person? If your answer to both questions is yes, you are probably a kind and caring individual. And that's great because if the world needs more of anything, it's considerate folks. That said, you need to know that you are not responsible for other people's feelings. Here's why.

Do your thoughts scare you? Have you ever been busy doing something when a disturbing thought suddenly occurred to you and left you shocked? Does this happen frequently? Don't worry, you are not losing your mind. Instead, the thoughts that scare you are probably intrusive thoughts.

It's 2024, yet the very idea that it is good for men to talk about their feelings is frowned upon. Traditional notions of masculinity discourage emotional expression, with anger being the only "acceptable" emotion for men to express. As a daughter, partner, and friend, I have seen how these toxic social expectations cause men to struggle in silence. As a mental health advocate, I believe that changing this narrative is crucial for supporting men's mental health. Men need to talk about their feelings.

Back in college, I believed that finding my purpose in life would bring me mental peace. After graduating as an information technology engineer, I took some time to figure out that my first love, writing, was my purpose. I thought that I had finally figured out my pathway to peace. Little did I know how wrong I was. Here's what I wish I knew about purpose and peace in my 20s.

Have you heard of a life script? Changing your life isn't easy, especially when you seek change that stands the test of time. I have been struggling to make some changes, and in a recent therapy session, I learned a technique that can help anyone steer their life in the direction they want. It's called rewriting your life script, and it can transform your life in ways you never thought possible. 

If you're a digital activist, you need to protect your mental health. In today's hyperconnected world, anyone can be an activist, and so many of us are. It's incredible to see young people actively working to improve the world we live in. However, while advocating for causes like social justice is crucial, so is making time for self-care. After all, digital activism can take a toll on your mental health just as much as traditional activism. Let's explore how you can protect your mental health as a digital activist.

If you are active on social media, you are probably aware of the "bed rotting" trend. Coined by a TikTok user in 2023, this term has become synonymous with self-care for Generation Z. However, I believe that bed rotting is not an act of self-care because it occurs when getting out of bed feels impossible.

Maintaining friendships is no easy task, and it's all the more difficult when you have a mental illness. I should know; I struggle with double depression and generalized anxiety disorder, and many of my friends have mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). That said, it is possible to sustain friendships even when you live with a mental illness. Here's how my friends and I do it. 

People, I feel wrongly, assume that you are either depressed or moody. When I was a teenager, I used to get frequent mood swings. At this age, I would also get episodes of depression. Unfortunately, I was labeled moody, and this was one of the primary reasons I was diagnosed with depression in my twenties. Honestly, I believe this is pretty common: depression and moodiness are considered mutually exclusive. However, according to personal experience, a person can experience both depression and moodiness.