Kylie Padilla shares her story for Mental Health Awareness Day

In an Instagram post, Kylie Padilla shared her personal story in commemoration of Mental Health Awareness Day.

According to Kylie, she was a teenager when she started getting a label.

"A lot of the people responsible for my well being always labelled me as “depressed” among other things. During a time when things were so confusing and so traumatic, these harmful words were being thrown around to try and silence and calm a very messy storm in our lives. And maybe it was just a quick and easy way of trying to pacify the situation so that just became the resolution. You are just depressed. To the point where it felt like what I was feeling felt invalid and didn't even matter enough to be heard or even discussed."

She continued her story by sharing her feelings.

"I remember feeling so angry when I heard anyone even say the word. That word almost instantly dehumanised me. At that time I didn't understand what that word even really meant, but since that was my label, I guess that's what I was?"

Kylie revealed the time she realized the danger of the situation.

"It was only later that I began to understand how dangerous it was for the situation to be handled that way. During that time I was feeling emotions I did not yet understand, I did not know how to process them or work through them. So naturally, I just kept silencing them until they came out in my behaviour."

Kylie also admitted that there were times she was in denial. Later on, she knew what she needed.

Kylie said, "It took some few years of denial, self-pity, rebellion and breaking down of the ego for me to realize that I was in need of some healing from a past that wasn't handled so well. And in a lot of positive ways, I'm proud of who I have become. But every day takes work, patience, and forgiveness. That is what I want to share with you, be patient with yourself. Understand that your emotions need to be heard, processed and understood. If not by someone you love and trust, then by you.

Kylie ended her post by sharing advice to people who are in need of help.

"It takes empathy to allow space for healing, love, and trust. If you cannot find it others, you must fight and learn to give it to yourself, you then learn to give it to someone else. You can do it. happy late #mentalhealthawareness day. We got this "