As someone who grew up in an Asian culture, the topics of mental health and therapy were always somewhat taboo. Some people believe that mental issues do not exist, while others would expect those with mental health struggles to keep quiet about it as it is seen as something shameful. Unfortunately, when I was struggling with my own mental health issues when I was younger, I encountered such pushback from my own parents as they would dismiss my struggles, putting it down to teenage angst and simply saying that my issues weren't that huge and it was all in my head. This made me want to retreat into myself and made me feel so alone because it felt like I couldn't talk to anyone about my struggles. 

However, as I got older and met people that were comfortable enough to talk about such topics, I realized that these topics didn't have to be as taboo as they are right now. Talking more about these topics helps to normalize them and it helps so much to be able to talk about it with people that you trust. 

As I opened up more about my own mental health struggles with different people, I certainly felt like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. But besides that, I realized that I wasn't alone, that there were many other people out there suffering alone as well, and that we could all somehow help each other and bond over our similar struggles. 

I also believe that normalizing such topics would encourage more people to actually seek the help that they need. One thing I noticed about how some people seemed to view getting help through things such as going to therapy or counseling, is that they viewed it as something a "weak" person would do. The fact that a person couldn't manage their own mental health struggles and had to seek help from someone else showed that they didn't have the "discipline" or "mental fortitude" to get through it themselves. I have also met people who felt like therapy or counseling wouldn't work for them because they already knew the techniques that professionals would use. These people basically just wouldn't give mental health services a chance to begin with. 

Overall, while the topic of mental health issues is slowly becoming something more accepted in the modern world, I think everyone needs to play a part in helping to normalize being open about such a topic and assist people who are truly struggling to feel like they can talk about it and seek the help that they need. You never know how much of an impact it could have on someone's life.