#Don't Panic Button // World Mental Health Day

As you may have heard already, today is the World Mental Health Day, and there is a #Don'tPanicButton campaign going around. The point of the campaign is to wear a red button, anywhere you please, to show support to anyone suffering from a mental illness, or if you suffer from it as well. That way if you see someone pass you on the street, wearing the Don't Panic Button you'll know that the person is perhaps anxious, or suffers from another mental illness, and you can offer that person a lovely smile, or perhaps even a compliment to make them feel better, and maybe even a bit less anxious. But also be careful because I know from my personal experience that I would probably freak out if a stranger on the street would try to hug me or anything personal like that, so I'd say that a smile would be enough, just a nice little gesture with good intentions. 

And if you're the one who suffers from any kind of mental illness, wearing that button might help you make friends that you otherwise wouldn't. I know that if I saw someone with that button I would feel a bit more at ease at going to them and saying hello, because I suffer from social anxiety and therefore making friends isn't always an easy task, and what I love about this campaign is that it would make me feel a lot less anxious if I saw someone with the little red button on their shirt. But most importantly I just love that we're slowly spreading awareness of mental illnesses, each day I see someone talking more publicly about it, and it makes me happy that it's slowly turning into a topic that is talked about, rather than a topic that was considered taboo not so long ago. 

So right now I'm putting my red button on my blog, to make it public that Narcis Blog is a place where it's safe to talk about it, and to make people aware that I'm always here to lend a helping hand because I know first hand how it feels like. So please, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can write in the comments section below, or even send me an e-mail via the contact form in the header. I may not be experienced in the field, I'm not a certificated psychiatrist or any kind of specialist on the matter, but I do know a few things from experience, and I know that sometimes we just need someone to talk to. I know that for a long time I wouldn't want to talk about it with my friends, and even though right now I'm comfortable with sharing that with anyone, it wasn't the case some time ago. And talking with someone you know is going through the same thing, and is the last person in the world to judge, is a lot easier than talking to someone you know can never fully understand it. 

Last but not least, I would like to thank Zoe from Zoella for bringing this campaign to my attention, and also for spreading awareness on the topic. It is amazing that someone with a larger audience such as hers, is doing something positive with her popularity and fighting for a great cause. Well, perhaps fighting is a strong word, but she is definitely making people more aware and I know she helped me deal with it a lot better with just talking about the things she goes through, and how she deals with it. For more information regarding the topic, as well as someone helpful links, watch her latest vlog here, or her video about dealing with her anxiety. 

But also thank you to all of you that support this little blog, it means the world to me and it makes Narcis Blog a little safe place on the internet for me, as well as the Blogging world in general. You're all the friends that I have yet to meet one day. Stay strong, and know that you're not alone in this.