1 in 4

1 in 4. 1 in 4 people have a mental illness. 70% of the entire population will have at least 1 suicidal thought in their life. In 2017, an estimated 284 million people dealt with an anxiety disorder. Over 300 million people in the world have dealt with depression in their life. There are so many people in this world who struggle with mental illness. 1 in 4 is a scary statistic because its still so stigmatized even though so many people deal with mental illness. Mental illness is spread throughout the entire world. It doesn’t just effect one race or country or ethnicity, it can effect anyone anywhere in the world. It can affect any age, any gender, any race, any ethnicity. I am 1 in 4. I don’t just battle with one mental illness but several and that makes me a survivor. I have survived 100% of my worst days. And so have you. If you battle with mental illness, that makes you a survivor too. This war we are fighting against is one that is tricky and hard to fight. Its hard to keep going when it feels like you are doing nothing. But as long as you are breathing and trying to stay alive, you are doing something to fight. You have a choice as to if you are going to take an active role in your recovery or if you are going to just survive with your mental illness. You get to choose if you are going to fight. And that’s what you should choose. Fighting mental illness is hard. But you get stronger and stronger everyday that you fight it. And sometimes you have slip ups and go backwards. All that matters is that you get back up and start fighting again. You have to choose to fight. Fighting your mental illness is not something that comes natural to everyone. A lot of people just stay in that spot with their mental illness because they don’t know how to fight or they don’t want to fight because they feel like it would be pointless. Fighting is not pointless. Fighting for your life is a war that you can and will win if you try your hardest. It may take time but you can do it. You get that choice. You get to choose if you are going to just survive your mental illness or if you are going to fight. You should choose to fight. Life is precious and even though sometimes you just don’t want to be here and living it, it is still precious. It is something that so many people take for granted. Life is worth living especially when you make it your own. Make life how you want it if you are going to fight. Choose life. We get to choose between life and death. You need to choose life today. And you need to choose it tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. Same with recovery. Recovery is a choice you have to make everyday. Recovery is always an option. If you struggle with mental illness, you can get through this. It’s going to be hard but you can and will get through this. You’ve just got to fight. You have to fight for your life in the fight of your life. You need to choose life and choose recovery day after day. You’ve got this. I believe in you. Hold onto hope and stay strong. Madison Rae <3