My Wish Right Now - Mental Health Awareness Retreat

My Wish Right Now

I wish people came together and spoke about mental health like they do cancer and HIV. How people come together for gay rights and civil rights. Organizations joining forces together for the common goal of one cause, knowing there is power in unity.

I cried when I took part of relay for life this year and it wasn't a good cry. I cried because I saw designers, club owners, organizations, and people come together to raise awareness for cancer as well as funds. Everyone was so helpful and supportive of each other. Every single person was considered amazing for their efforts (in raising awareness and funds) no matter how big or how small.

When it comes to mental health it seems to be the total opposite. People are ashamed to spread awareness because "omg people are going to think I'm crazy..I'm a loony...I'm pathetic". People tend to hide their mental health groups more then proudly show it. They tend to not even advocate due to the high stigma and discrimination of the illness.

But was even worse is that organizations fight each other. Instead of coming together for the cause they attack one another of whose better and yet many are not doing what they are suppose to do...focus on mental health! Not how big the organization is! Not how many members you have or don't have! Not on how famous your group is or isn't! And surely not! on how much money you make out of the organization. The sole focus should be always the advocacy, true advocacy of mental health!.

It seems people don't matter with this cause and many tend to look the other way. Somehow we are less human and overlooked. As if we didn't have feelings and emotions. Just some bag of apples that sit in a corner emotionless. If WE, the people with mental illness don't stand up then who do you expect to change things for us?

I started to advocate for mental health because I am! mentally ill and you have no idea how much abuse I have seen. From "doctors" (if you can call them that after the abuse), therapist, and those involved in helping the mentally ill to family members, friends, and society in general. I am not going to sit around and wait for someone to change things...I will simply try my best to do what I can. But I am going to tell you this. I, alone, can't change the world. There is power in unity and until we realize that, mental health will continue to have issues with many people hiding in shame instead of standing up and educating. With people hiding behind stigma and not standing up and providing resources. With people trying to bring another organization down, instead of rising up, getting together and raising awareness.

Martin Luther King said "There is power in unity and there is power in numbers"

I don't know why people are so afraid to stand up for themselves but I will tell you this....In order for there to be change, we must rise up and stand up for what is right. It is the ONLY way, things will! change. Don't expect change by doing absolutely nothing.

With that said, I have been trolled for a while now on running Mental Health Awareness Retreat and recently my account was compromised. I was ready to give up, I won't lie. After much hardship one just feels this urge to quit, to give up, to not continue with what's causing the hurt anymore. But thanks to the support of those around me who helped me to continue to see what it is that I fight for daily, I will not! be giving up. I will continue to advocate for mental health until I am no longer alive and/or things change. Until people start to come together for mental health like they do for relay for life. Until people start to talk about mental health openly without shame, proudly! displaying their mental health groups just like relay for life. Until people start supporting others who are mentally ill just like they do cancer.

As many of you know, the only thing touched during the time my account was comprised was the mental health awareness retreat group. Nothing else to my knowledge was touched. I assume then that this is an attack towards mental health and what we do.

No matter what happens from here on, I will continue to do my best to raise awareness and provide resources for mental health even if it's not via second life's platform and I hope that you (the readers) will also take a stand and rise up, raise awareness for mental health, talk about mental health, provide resources and come together for the common goal of one cause....to change the outlook on mental health from a negative view to a positive view.

If you will like to support Mental Health Awareness Retreat and what we do, you can share our blog where people are able to find resources for various mental health disorders. You can host a sign in your second life land that will give out the blog and Mental Health Awareness Retreat's LM. You can share our facebook page. And you can share our pintrest page.

You don't have to support Mental Health Awareness Retreat to support mental health either. You can raise awareness and help stop stigma in different ways such as talking to others about mental health, offering them resources and information; educating others. Writing about mental health in blogs and/or web pages, forums and groups. Starting an event that helps raise awareness and stop stigma on mental health and many other things. Feel free to research on what appeals to you.

Together we can end mental health stigma and change how people see the mentally ill from a negative to a positive light <3

Take a look at what I am wearing from DOZZE and [geek.] HERE