Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryanna Hammond. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ryanna, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience: toughness, strength, the capacity to withstand difficulty. Being a resilient person isn’t something you are born with; it is something that develops over time. In other words, I would never be resilient today if it weren’t for all the trials and tribulations that I faced throughout my youth and early twenties.
A deep depression. Eating disorders. Suicidal ideation. Self-hate. Anxiety. PTSD. Binge-drinking. Toxic friendships. Toxic romances. This was, at one point, my waking life. For ten years, my brain lived by this code that had developed during adolescence. No, I was not resilient. Far from it. I was in pain. I was self-destructive. A cloud of gloom loomed over me with the thoughts, “Why am I this way? How did I get here from that once happy little girl?”
Then, one day, when I was twenty-two, I was driving home from work and a lightbulb turned on in my mind, banishing all bits of darkness: I was choosing to live my life this way. At any moment, I could decide I wanted better for myself, and could create a life that made me proud.
I started journaling and sought therapy. I took my poetry and creative writing seriously. I published my first book. I made my first business, Ryanna Writes. And, though I was creating better for myself and facing the fear of failure, many of my ailments still lingered and affected me: eating disorder, anxiety, PTSD, binge-drinking, toxic romantic relationships. Things don’t just vanish, so it makes sense that they were still present to some degree.
I was determined to not turn a blind eye on these issues, though. I wanted to heal and I wanted to stop choosing things that were not healthy for me. I began going out into the wilderness alone on solo camping trips. It was there, with mother nature and no cell service, that I truly met myself and began to unravel the entire history of my existence. I stopped my business because I knew there was something else for me, something more, something bigger, but I had to continue to work on myself to bring it to light.
So where am I today? I am twenty-six now. I live in my own studio apartment. I have a daily routine that includes reading, meditation, yoga, exercise, and a gratitude list. Those ailments above no longer have a grip on me. I no longer choose unhealthy relationships. I rarely consume alcohol, and if I do it’s in small amounts. I am working on a new business, that will be dedicated to helping people with their mental health and fostering new mindsets. My first novel will be released in just over a month. I am living my dream life every single day. I give myself hugs. I write myself sweet notes. I laugh and joke with myself. I hype myself up. Most importantly, I look myself in the eyes in the mirror and tell the woman staring back at me that all of her dreams are going to come true because she believes herself that much that she won’t stop until her dreams enter her reality. And that is what I call a resilient woman.
Every time we endure a trial or tribulation, the experience becomes like a piece of armor. Instead of hiding it, shaming it, or ignoring it, we must proudly wear it. Yes, it is hard work, but it is work worth doing. One day, you will look at yourself and that armor will be covering your entire body. And, at that point, you will have faced so much that you will be unstoppable. Nothing will hold you back. No person. No obstacle. No belief. No setback. No fear. You will be like a free spirit at the top of a mountain in twenty-degree weather and feel violently alive. You will be able to withstand anything.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am made up of three pillars: nature, mental health, and creative writing. I am currently combining all of my loves together into my new business, All With Heart, and building its website. Not only do I enjoy helping people with their mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health through creative writing and nature, but I have degrees and experiences to back it up. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and am graduating with a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing in May 2024. Also, I have been on over fifteen solo road trip and camping adventures.
The products I have currently include my five poetry books about mental health, self-love, and romantic love. In about six weeks, my first novel, Searching For Emiliano, will also be released. I am more excited about that project that anything else because I have been working on it for over two years and have done everything myself from writing to creating the cover to copyediting the manuscript. In the future, I plan to have mental health and self-love merchandise and hold writing workshops based on specific things like eating disorders, depression, or toxic relationships, where people can sign up for something specific to what they need. While my website is being built, all of my books can be found on Amazon if you type “Ryanna Hammond” into the search bar.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Free-write journalling – This style of writing is stream of consciousness, meaning you just set a timer for 10-15 minutes and writer everything that comes to your mind. This helped me to release things that weighed heavy on my brain and to process and release events from my past. 2. Spending time alone outdoors – This helped me build a deeper relationship with myself. You learn to trust yourself and have fun with yourself when you are alone outside with no distractions. Also, mother nature is there to comfort you and remind you of what really matters.
3. Reading – Reading self-help books, whether nonfiction or poetry, helped me to see that I was not alone and I got to learn from many other people’s perspectives.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Single. On Purpose. by John Kim was a very important read for me. If you are someone who struggles with self-love and/or being alone, this is a very important read. The best nugget of wisdom is this: We must accept the reality that we may never find the right person for us. When I read that part of the book it made me cry. How could I accept that? Then I kept reading and he talked about the type of meaningful life we could live all on our own. For the next few weeks I sat with that acceptance until it soaked in and until I really accepted it. I am now happily single, and have been for six months. I truly love being alone and I know I will live a content life whether or not I have a partner. This acceptance has also led to me having higher standards and not seeking or straying off my path.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @itsryannahammond @itsallwithheart
- Facebook: Ryanna Hammond
- Other: TIkTok: @poemsinprettyplaces
Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
photo of me on the skateboard was taken by Eva Madarang the rest were my own photos
