Some days I can sit here staring at my laptop screen wondering just what I am going to talk about. I started thinking about everything I have felt this week. Anything my family or friends have gone through. Topics that maybe I haven’t discussed yet. Thinking so much that I just can’t decide. So tonight I am just going to say thank you.
I started this blog in November 2020, during a time of my life that was probably the lowest I had felt. Constantly moving through each day on an autopilot, numb feeling. I saw no happiness, no positiveness in my life. I believed that the only reason I was placed on this earth was to make everyone else happy at the cost of my own. Contemplating if I really needed to be here.
Hiding
It was 9 months later that a friend reached out to me. They said it was as if someone was telling them I needed help. That is when I woke up and started focusing on me. I started this blog to put what I was feeling into words. To find a way that maybe would make sense to me. And if someone reads a post or two, then maybe they too can find some solace in seeing that there is someone else in the world that is struggling too.
My son and I have been talking more and more about mental health. He has been diagnosed with ADHD, but I am sure there are other areas he would be diagnosed with. (I need to get him checked, I know.) But I try to explain to him that mental health has always been a hidden topic, a forbidden phrase if you will, for centuries. Too many people have suffered in silence, in hiding, and shamed. No one discussed feeling until the last 10-20 years.
Now
I grew up in the 1980’s and 1990’s where the focus was about the violence and drugs of the world. Boys were taught to toughen up and “be a man” while the girls were taught to be tough and show respect. If you showed any sign of discomfort, it was classified as weakness. But today, commercials, TV and movies are bringing mental health out more. We are still very far from making it mainstream, but we are moving forward.
Remember that it is okay to not be okay. It is safe to talk about being depressed or anxious. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they are too scared to admit that they either don’t understand or they too are suffering. And finally remember that you are not alone in this world. Friends, family, counselors, religious staff, and those that are available on crisis hotlines are here to stand with you. So, raise your head. You are beautiful and you are enough. Remember that!
Enjoy this video.
With great warmth,
