My anxiety has been around for as long as I can remember. My depression started to appear around the age of fourteen. School was extremely tough for me. I never really felt like I fit in which made my depression worse. I consistently felt homesick even when I was at home. My anxiety would give me constant reminders that something was wrong and it told me that I was a bad person and didn’t deserve happiness. My depression told me that nothing mattered, including my life. I grew up privileged and in high school started growing a following on social media. This for sure had its perks, but it also made me feel completely invalidated. I was told that if you’re “good looking” you couldn’t have problems. This made my suffering worse. Through abusive relationships and personal demons, I struggled with self harm and being suicidal for what felt like forever. Therapy and support from loved ones truly saved my life and if I was surrounded by stigma, I probably wouldn’t be here today. I still have my days where it feels like the end of the world or just numb, but I have developed the skills to cope and let it pass. Nothing is closer to my heart than mental health and it is vital that people feel empowered to seek help. Vulnerability and asking for help shows enormous strength.
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