A therapist once asked me to visualise my mental illness and I wasn't sure but I think I know now. It's a small, dark, cold, empty prison cell with nothing inside it but myself and my demons. I hear people outside saying beyond the thick cold stone walls there is a beautiful world full of possibities. They're saying I don't have to always be stuck inside here. They're telling me I can escape.

I never really believed them because there was no evidence. All I had was that room. Why would anything else exist if I have no evidence in front of my eyes to support it? All the facts I have point to it being my demons trying to trick me as they always do. What if I escape and it's just an even worse cell? It's cells all the way down.

But all it takes is one brick to be removed, even if not intentionally. Once I have a glimpse of the outside world I'm tearing that wall down like I'm Pink Motherfucking Floyd. It may take years and I'm not saying once I'm out of this cell it's eternal bliss. 

I'm saying it's the difference between being a prisoner of my mental illness and not letting it restrain me to a life of despair. It's about having the potential to do what I want with with my life and be the person I want to be despite the heavy shackles I wear.