Hello Friends,
Welcome to my healing journey! Let’s talk about the reality of mental health struggles – they’re not a one-time event. Mental health is more like a roller coaster, with its ups and downs. You’ll have tough seasons, good days, bad weeks, great months, and challenging years. Currently, I’m in a dip with my mental health, and it’s been this way for about 6 months. I’m sharing this because I know it’s something we all go through. I’m sure someone out there is going through it right now, and I want them to know they’re not alone.
When your mental health takes a dip, it’s easy to feel like you’re regressing. It can seem like all the progress and healing you’ve achieved has been undone. But I’ve chosen to see this as a new chapter in my healing journey. This dip isn’t a step back, but a milestone from which I can measure my new growth and healing. I’m proud of the healing I’ve done, but I know there’s more work ahead to get to a better place. And I’m excited to take you along on this new journey of learning, growth, and healing.
Every Saturday, I will post a new blog post with an update, including the challenges and wins from the week, any new coping mechanisms I have implemented, what has worked, what hasn’t, etc. Follow me on social media and sign up here to ensure you never miss a thing!
“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” – Tori Amos
My biggest struggle has recently been fear, specifically with anything out of my control. I have been struggling with eating, fear of what the future holds, health anxiety, self-image, depressive episodes and dissociation. For months, I have woken up with a stomach ache, had panic attacks, trouble falling asleep/staying asleep and some of the worst anxiety of my life. My mental health has been in a bad place many times before. Still, I have never experienced such bad physical symptoms because of it.
This went on for months without me knowing why it was happening or what was taking place. I have been stuck in a vicious cycle of my anxiety, causing physical symptoms that make me more anxious, thus making the physical symptoms worse, and so on and so forth. All of the coping mechanisms I have used previously proved ineffective, and I was indeed at a loss for what to do. So, I decided I was going to have to start from scratch. Actually, I put off starting from scratch for two more months, even though I knew that was what I needed to do. Eventually, I became so frustrated and tired of feeling awful all the time I finally bit the bullet and wiped the metaphorical whiteboard of my healing clean so I could start fresh with this new chapter of my healing journey.
As I turn the page to a new chapter of my healing, I am filled with a mix of fear and determination. I am tired, but I am also resolute in my quest to find happiness again. If you’re going through a rough patch or simply seeking a fresh start, I invite you to join me in this new chapter. Together, we will learn, grow, and heal. Leave a comment below to mark the start of your new healing chapter; remember, we’re in this together!
Until next week, My Friends!
P.S. I am proud of you 😉