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.
Michael Moran
I’ve suffered most of my life from pretty severe depression and anxiety. Mine mostly manifests in chronic-fatigue, extreme discomfort around people, an overwhelming fear of the future, and generally just kind of feeling crummy, mentally and physically. Being a human is difficult enough without these often-debilitating conditions, the treatment of which can be really tricky, and frustrating. And then throw in the fact that I just HAVE to devote my life to my art (if you’re an artist you understand this) instead of choosing a career what would allow treatment to be more sustainable, and it all can certainly be difficult at times. Read more>>
Delaney Grimm
I started my business in 2020 and honestly started it as just a hobby. I liked the peace that was associated with flowers and being creative. It slowly turned into an actual business which brought on its own challenges. Obviously starting your own business can bring on waves of anxiety and doubt for anyone, however, I found out the hard way that you need to allow yourself breaks. In 2021, I had a diagnosed mental break. I was disassociated from reality and felt as if I was looking through a window into my life. Read more>>
Tod Barnett
When life felt darkest and most bleak, the things that brought me out of the feelings of hopelessness that I experienced were when I found something to have faith in. For me, faith comes in the form of spirituality, a trust in the universe. Looking back at the path I feel like I’ve been led on with my company, I knew that every step, every breadcrumb I followed was leading me somewhere. Read more>>
Bert Anderson
I remember the first time I came face to face with this thing that I always tried to hide. I was sitting in my doctor’s office alone, I was a young mom with a four-month-old son who was at home with his dad. A friend had suggested, after coming over to hang out with me and seeing how detached and emotionless I was, that maybe I wasn’t just tired. Maybe it was something more. Read more>>
Jamia Morrow-Perkins
Br8k Thru Support Services was born after several tragedies. In December 2015 I completed my Master’s degree to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. Ready to set the world ablaze tragedy struck in 2016 when my son was being physically assaulted at school, I was laid off from my government job in June, I lost my brother in August, my grandfather in October, and was getting married in December. During this time I fell into a depressed state. I did not want to eat, work…I couldn’t even leave the house. With the help of friends and family, I started seeing a counselor, but it was short-lived as I was ashamed that me being a counselor could not muster the strength to battle my own Depression. After much resistance, I took a position as an Assessor at DXT Therapeutic Services, but I did not want to see any client for counseling because I did not feel ready or up to the challenge while still battling my own issues. It would take me almost a year before I was ready to have a 1 on 1 session with a client and feel confident enough to be the best counselor I could be. Read more>>
Daughter
As a nineteen year old in an abusive relationship, fresh out of graduating college, in and out of the hospital with mono with no faith or confidence in myself or God’s plan for my life, you could say I was completely lost. The summer after moving home from The International College of Musical Theatre in London, I decided some changes needed to be made. Music and my faith were the only healing things in my life at the time so I turned to writing and praying. I moved to Nashville, TN to immerse myself in a new environment, forcing myself to take the time I needed to recover mentally and physically, and rediscover my identity as an artist. Oddly enough, it was in this process of turning my life around that I grew the most as an artist and person. I used the challenges I faced to start writing relatable material in my music and create an identity detached from worldly things. Essentially, music became therapy- but not to say I didn’t also utilize the gift of therapy and recognized the impact it had on my mental health. All that to be said, it is and always will be an ongoing battle for many, but I can safely say redirecting my eyes on God and trusting His plan for my career, relationships, and overall mission in this lifetime is what truly saved me. Read more>>
Kishawn Tyrell D. Gilliam
Honestly, I really don’t think I have. I’ve learned to handle my BS better but I didn’t overcome mental health issues because I still deal with them. If anything, exerting self control is what made me gain control over myself. I have really hurt a lot of people including myself on the road of living with a deteriorating mental clarity. When I lost my best friend, my anchor to reality, I really fell into a darkness even worse than when I thought I was getting better but I wasn’t. I was lying to myself & to the world, I was living in a delusion and I really didn’t know that I was splitting my reality into so many different worlds. There was Kishawn A & Kishawn B and depending on which one you got is how you’d base your experience off of me. Some folks will tell you I’m great, some folks will tell you I’m the worst, Believe both. Read more>>
Tia Natasha Adams
I have dealt with mental health issues since elementary school. I had a hard time keeping up with other kids my age up until 2nd grade and then I started to excel, even past the gifted and talented students. I was made aware of how different I was by other students, dealing with bullying all the way up until 11th grade. Having this constant picking and ideation set in front of me that I wasn’t worthy really ate at me. Read more>>
Anna Mikhaela Reyes
I have been battling mental health issues since I was a child. Racing thoughts, imposter syndrome, dissociation, OCD tendencies, and prolonged emotional heaviness were regular occurrences for me. As a child, I thought that everyone else around me experienced these same symptoms and that I had to accept them as my “normal” day-to-day life. Even in my early adulthood, I thought it was perfectly natural to sail through life without being in the present moment or feeling lonely even in a crowded room. Read more>>
Kareem Manuel
I find immense joy in pondering this question. Sadly, our society fails to prioritize mental, physical, and emotional well-being. While I have theories about who’s to blame, I’ve learned that taking ownership of my own health is crucial. Every day, I practice meditation, allowing my body to express what I feel inside. It reminds me that the voice in my head isn’t me and doesn’t have to control my emotions or reactions. I could talk about this for hours! Read more>>
Asia Howard
In recent years I have relied more on the 3 F’s to fight: Faith, Family and Friends. I know that sounds cliche but they have all helped me with acknowledging that I have a problem and with help I can overcome. My faith has shown me that life isn’t all about me and my woes and if I focus on helping others I’ll look at my problems less, but don’t totally neglect my own problems either. And also it really is a battle in the mind. You have to replace those negative thoughts with the positive ones and see the good in the situation. My family gives me a reason to fight every day. I love the memories we have together and I can’t wait to make new ones. And finally my friends they eat with me, they support me and I know they are all a phone call away when I need a listening ear and a prayer. Read more>>
Zachary Bair
That’s a touchy one, but I think it’s equally as important! To preface, I currently deal with large bouts of anxiety from time to time. It’s not every day, but when it hits, it HITS. Traveling almost 300 days a year both helps and hinders that anxiety. On one hand, I don’t get it as much when I’m distracted working and traveling. But on the other hand, when I stop moving and return home, I tend to get a little more anxiety than usual those first few days. I still haven’t really pinpointed why, but I have found ways to overcome it. Read more>>
