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.
Jonathan Limon
Being an entrepreneur working in different entities can at times get overwhelming. I always have to remind myself what I’m working towards and why. Overcoming obstacles, hitting roadblocks, and getting criticized can always challenge your motivation, creating doubt. Read more>>
Rufaro Musvosvi
My mother has this saying that she’s repeated to me when I’ve been at the end of my rope, which has been many, many times. “Simba itsime remufuku, rinosinira.” The translation being, “Strength is like a well dug by the river, it will refill.” Read more>>
Sacha Moore
I believe accepting my mental illness as being a part of who I am rather than something I am plagued with has helped me push forward in business and life. I used to be ashamed of my mental illness, always hiding it from the world, but in recent years I have come to learn it is my flaws that make me human and relatable to others. Read more>>
Hazel Quimpo
For years, my journey with CPTSD and ADHD was marked by a fierce denial of the very existence of my struggles. I was the master of white-knuckling through life, painting a picture of control and competence to the outside world, while internally, I was in a constant state of turmoil. Accepting that I had an issue felt like an admission of defeat, a crack in the armor I’d meticulously built around myself. Read more>>
Emily Sakhila
I walked into the forest the other day and made a pact with myself that I wouldn’t leave until I had learnt to love myself.I sat. And waited. I focused on loving the tree in front of me. That part was easy. I saw its perfection in its imperfections and saw its perfect place positioned in the forest. I felt adoration. I felt love for the whole forest. I could then feel myself in and as part of the forest. I couldn’t love myself alone, but seeing myself as part of the forest, I could. Read more>>
Joshua Keever
I’ve been diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder and let me tell you it’s no joke. It’s like all my emotions are ramped up to 11 and if I’m not careful I can end up in an extended state of mania and/or depression that can be socially debilitating. Overcoming challenges that stem from bipolar disorder requires persistence, resilience and careful self-monitoring to anticipate an oncoming episode. Read more>>
Charles Foreman
I believe that it comes down to consumption! You are what you eat. What we read, the people we listen to, the music and media that we consume, start to program how we think, act and respond to daily challenges. Read more>>
Shandy Shafer
Challenges have been a part of my life ever since I was first born. I was born with a hematoma of the brain, and literally looked like I had a cone shaped head. As a child, I was in and out of the hospital with problems with my ears…from there at a young age of 12 was informed (just as many other family members) that I carry Mental Illness in my genes. Read more>>
Lizabeth Murphy
My journey through the challenges related to mental health has been transformative, shaping both my personal and professional growth. A pivotal moment in this journey occurred when I made the difficult decision to step down from my role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief People Officer (CPO) at my company that I built and ran for 10 years, This decision was prompted by the realization that my mental health was at risk after an arduous eight-year legal battle with business partners. Read more>>
Lizzy Weiland
I have struggled with chronic depression and anxiety since I was young, however, music and art has always carved out a space where I could feel safe to be myself. Being born in a small town, being different was certainly not celebrated, and I lived most of my younger years trying to fit into a mold, catering to expectations others placed on me. Read more>>
Shin Yu Liu
I’m a Comedic Screenwriter and an Independent Film Producer who is also Epileptic (triggered by stress and lack of sleep; fully clashing with the arduous hours working on set) and is dealing with major Anxiety Issues. So, if you think about it — balancing my creative endeavours with my mental health issues is kind of ‘my thing.’ Read more>>
Slimtronic5k
Being an artist with OCD, Psychoaffective Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder brings its own share of challenges. Those intrusive thoughts from OCD can mess with the creative process, and the mood swings from Psychoaffective and Bipolar Disorder add another layer to the mix. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster. Read more>>
Tatyana Fowlkes/Collins
Growing up, I had major gaps in my life where I was surviving on my own. I’ve been in the shoes of a homeless person with mental illness. I currently suffer from Bipolar depression and anxiety. With out help or self discipline, it is easy to lose yourself. I learned to make peace with my past and everything I’ve been through and grow from it. Read more>>
Selene
Mental health has always been a challenge, no matter the person, it just hits each one of us differently. I have been dealing with depression for years and besides therapy, which I highly recommend, having a creative outlet worked wonders for my mental health! Having that creative freedom to just let EVERYTHING out on my canvas, to just pour my sadness and inner person as if it was the paint and let it flow, was healing. Read more>>
Jessica N. Sauls
Everyday we have a choice. We can get up and take the world on or we can roll over and tuck our tail between our legs. I have faced lots of obstacles and have chosen both of them at one point or another. I found that rolling over only felt heavier over time and just didn’t feel good. I myself don’t want to feel bad and make a daily choice to wake up and take the world on. Read more>>
Catherine Moore
Back in 2001, when I was still in art school, I developed debilitating anxiety. Unlike some who get agoraphobia with it, I didn’t want to be IN my home. I wanted to drive around in a car or go to the beach, or just really anything that was not being at my house. Read more>>
Kim Conrey
Myself and my oldest child deal with obsessive compulsive disorder with intrusive thoughts. It can be frustrating because OCD is one of the most cliched and misunderstood disorders out there. Many people think that if they like to have things neat or organized then they must have OCD. It’s a frustrating assumption, especially when you’ve watched a child with OCD dry heaving over a toilet because their OCD and intrusive thoughts were so bad that they were getting physically ill. Read more>>
Victoria Armstrong
In spring of 2012, I had a stroke. I was 35, and just starting to see success in my first business. I was left with an invisible disability–issues keeping up in conversations, decision-making challenges, and limited capacity for extended periods of work. My cognitive impairment impacted every aspect of my life, and my early resources for understanding it and reaching out for help overcoming it was limited. Read more>>
Tomiah Madrigal
With all the difficulty that comes with mental health issues, managing a normal day to day life can be a lot to handle. As for myself, dealing with debilitating anxiety the majority of my life made me think even the simplest of things were out of reach for me. Read more>>
