As the prevalence of mental health issues increases and affects an ever larger number of our friends and family, it becomes essential that we create spaces for folks to talk about how they overcame or persisted despite mental health challenges. Here, we’ve tried to create a safe space for people to come together and discuss their stories, experiences, triumphs and failures with managing their mental health issues.
Bianca Karremans
One of the challenges I’ve had to navigate is living with ADHD. While it’s something I’ve learned to embrace, it can also make everyday life feel overwhelming at times. My mind is constantly moving, filled with ideas, thoughts and distractions, which can make it difficult to slow down or stay focused. Read More>>
Sandrine Pilaz
Looking back, that difficult season became a gift in disguise. It forced me to slow down and take an honest look at my life, my priorities, and the way I was moving through the world. Little by little, with support, self-reflection, and a lot of patience, I gradually found my way back to myself. Read More>>
Meagan Spice
I don’t think I’ll ever fully “overcome” mental illness. Depression is a disease I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life, and learning how to live with it has been a constant process. Having a career while managing mental illness can be really difficult. When I feel myself slipping into a bad place, I reach out to the people closest to me. Read More>>
Marta Parada
I struggled with anorexia and eating disorders from the age of 16. For years, my life revolved around hospitals, treatments, and relapses. I spent months in hospital care, including psychiatric units, where the primary focus was restoring my weight. While physical recovery is essential, I learned that true healing requires much more than that. Read More>>
Rachelle Nelson
I didn’t realize how much I was actually carrying until I had my kids and fell into full-on depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. I could barely live my life. I was so exhausted due to years of chronic stress that most of the day I was laying on my couch, binging Netflix because I couldn’t handle what was happening in my real life. Read More>>
Nathalie Dortonne
Mental health has always been a battle for me. I experience anxiety and depression on an almost daily basis, but I am able to regulate that through medication and self-care. I used to always feel like I had to be doing something to be productive. That was a mentality I developed as a journalism major in college. Read More>>
Monica Prince
In January of 2014, I was exactly halfway through my MFA in poetry. I was teaching, writing, taking classes, mentoring, and trying to have a social life simultaneously. I was dangerously broke—student loans hadn’t kicked in yet—and I was lonely. Strangely. It snowed in Georgia that year, two massive storms that left Atlanta paralyzed and me smug at having grown up in Denver. Read More>>