What Holly Butcher's Facebook Post Meant to Me as Someone With Mental Illness

I was scrolling through my various social media and news accounts when I came across an article on BuzzFeed. It was about a young woman named Holly Butcher that recently passed away due to a rare form of bone cancer. Before she passed, she wrote an incredibly heartbreaking and thought provoking post about some life lessons she learned as her time here on Earth was nearing the end.

Living with various mental illnesses, and being a realist that often leans closer to being a pessimist, I am constantly complaining about trivial things that don’t matter in life. I try to remind myself as often as possible to stay positive and look at the brighter side, but 99 percent of the time, I can’t help but be brought down by the large amount of negativity that is out in the world.

But the way Holly spoke about her time on Earth, and the lessons she has learned here, resonated with me. I was brought close to tears as I thought back to the amount of times I took my husband, dogs and life for granted — many of those times occurred just this past week. It was also incredibly heartbreaking to read her post knowing that she was now gone and was only one year older than I am now. No one deserves to have their life cut short no matter the circumstances, and it’s never easy to learn these life lessons when your time is here.

Sometimes it’s a blessing and a curse to learn these lessons in our final days. For myself, I am thankful for her words because I am reminded of the amazing life I have. Despite my illnesses, I need to remember that there are no guarantees in life and you need to value each day for what it is — another day to live amongst your loved ones and another day to just breathe.

For those of you that are going through struggles, words will never solve everything, but sometimes these simple reminders can help us gain more clarity about what’s really important. So take Holly’s words and try to live each day more thankful than the last. If you have mental illnesses, make sure to reach out to your family and friends for support and love; for those of you that know someone with a mental illness, or someone struggling, make sure to check on them every now and then. Never be too proud to ask for help, never be too busy to make time for those around you, and make sure to always give as much as you can. Life is about the memories we make, not the items we can afford. Don’t let the little things break your soul. Always find a reason to smile.

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Lead photo via Remembering Holly Butcher Facebook page