Bekah Miles has depression. She’s trying to come to grips with the illness. As an expression of her efforts, she got this tattoo which beautifully illustrates how depression is experienced. When other people look at her leg, it says “I’m Fine.” When she looks down at her tattoo, Bekah sees “Save Me.” In a heartfelt Facebook post, Miles writes:
To me, it means that others see this person that seems okay, but, in reality, is not okay at all. It reminds me that people who may appear happy, may be at battle with themselves. […]
This is one of the most difficult things to open up about because it’s extremely hard for me to feel vulnerable…but this needs to be talked about. Mental illness is serious, but so shamed in our society. We care so much for our physical health, but hardly a thing about our mental state. And that is seriously messed up. Mental illness is not a choice and will likely hit everyone at some point in their life. If it’s such a huge issue, why aren’t we having this conversation about it?
That’s why I got this tattoo; they are great conversation starters. This forces me to talk about my own struggle, and why the awareness of it is important. You’d be surprised by how many people YOU know that struggle with depression, anxiety, or other mental illness. I may only be one person, but one can save another...and that's all I could really ask for.
-via The Soul Is Bone