Welcome! And thank you for joining me in what will be my first ever post! This blog will be based around mental illness, and my experiences with it. My hope is that some of you reading this can relate, that we can share our stories of madness and that maybe we can untangle our messy minds a little. Ill mental health is something that I have struggled with for a long time, for the past while I thought that I was through the worst of it and had left that chapter of my life behind - mental illness, been there done that, won’t be going there again. But alas, that isn’t how it works. Depression found its way back to me. So here I am! Seeking some comfort in sharing my story, being an open book. A sad, lonely, despairing, depressing book... (I'm thinking of that scene in Bridesmaids, where Rebel Wilson finds Kristen Wiig's diary... Anyone? No?)
So maybe a little background information is a good way to kick things off? My current status is, I would say, stable (with a hint of happiness). I’m feeling ok for the most part, a steady incline towards happiness. My history with mental illness: I first reported low mood at the age of 13, diagnosed with depression at 16, anorexia and bulimia slipped on in there shortly after, a little sprinkle of self harm and topped it off with a wee diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder a few years later. Et Voila! I am 25 years old now, and out of that delightful list, I only struggle with depression and anxiety now. And in all honesty, as I said above, I thought I was done with those too, but hey, 2 out of 5 ain’t bad!
Through this blog I'll be delving into my history with these various illnesses, how I recovered and how I am coping noe. This will include all the different coping mechanisms that I have found useful and I would love for you to share yours too! LET’S SHARE THE TOOLS TO RECOVERY.
The first mental illness that I will be looking at will be depression. Depression is something that I am currently struggling with, so you really will get a first hand look into how my mind is currently working with this illness. All my thoughts and feelings will be laid out for you honestly in this blog. Not what I remember from ‘that time when I was depressed’, but exactly how I am feeling right now while I’m in the middle of it all. A VIP ticket to my melancholy mind – lucky you! So yes, if you want to RSVP to that ticket (you little weirdo), then please check out the post that follows this one. Cool beans, thank you.
Ok so maybe that is enough just for now. I hope I have provided a bit of background to my fabulously flawed brain, and that my intentions for this blog have been made clear(ish). The stigma around mental health seems to be lifting, there’s still work to be done, but we are on the right track. Lets keep that momentum going. My hope is that other people can relate, and that we get a conversation started. Our minds can become prisons, please don’t get stuck in there alone, you are NOT the only one that feels that way, it’s ok to reach out for help.
‘The day you plant the seed isn’t the day you get to see the flower. Great things take time to bloom. Keep going’
