Mental Health: Inspiring Stories of Perseverance and Resilience

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.

Betsy Russell

In March of 2020 my husband went on a medical leave of absence from work because of debilitating depression and anxiety. The first few months we just tried to get him to pull out of it but nothing seemed to help.  Read more>>

Lona Czerwinski

Mental health issues impact so many people these days, including myself. I have battled with depression and anxiety for several years now. What has helped me with my mental health is being open about my struggles and reaching out for help.  Read more>>

Alison Naranjo Vargas

My faith has provided me the strength and courage to confront my mental health issues and overcome their effects. For the longest time, my mental health issues held me back in many aspects of my life. I knew I had potential to become more. But my anxiety and depression fed my self doubt. Through prayer and meditation I found that I was worth much more than what I thought.  Read more>>

Kimberly Guess

God Prayer Meditation and Medication Learning to communicate with myself about myself now I am patient with me. Being open to a combination of strategies, professional help in individual/group grief/mental health therapy, medications, healthy lifestyle changes, and a strong supportive network from loved ones. Read more>>

Dot A. Wiggins

I have struggled health wise through my 54 years. Even as a teenager and young adult I suffered with generalized headaches, sore throats and pain throughout my body yet doctors never really seemed to believe me and would give me a prescription and it felt horrible to not have a name to describe what was wrong and because I could not explain it to anyone it felt super isolating and I always felt like they were saying nothing was wrong so I was just complaining and it affected all of life’s activities.  Read more>>

Jordan Spayd

Mental health issues are something I’ve struggled with since childhood. My home life growing up had its fair share of chaos and I felt a sense of responsibility to help make things as even-keeled as possible for my parents and siblings which is a lot for a kid to take on. Read more>>

Kimberly Tocco

Women have the most challenges when it comes to balancing the entrepreneur and leadership roles in our society today as we juggle motherhood, career expectations, emotional stress and our intimate relationships. All to often the sledgehammers of life come along and can knock us off track and place us in a stagnancy in our trajectory because we have not been able to identify our purpose in the drive to become leaders and entrepreneurs. Read more>>

Ieasha James

Your question takes me on a journey back to my childhood, a time filled with creativity but also significant challenges. Despite being a beacon of creativity in family events and fashion shows, academic settings were a struggle due to the high expectations set by my mother and my own battles with tests, homework, and maintaining focus.  Read more>>

Lauren deSerres

I’ve had anxiety and depression for most of my life. Creating art that helps other people understand these natural human conditions is therapeutic to me. Art gives me an avenue to communicate with other people on a really meaningful level.  Read more>>

Alex Are

My whole childhood felt like a prolonged gaslight. On the one hand I went to school with the Olsen Twins, the Haim sisters, my uncle wrote the films ‘Midnight Run’ and ‘Bad Boys’, Jackson Browne would come over and jam with my dad, etc — I was completely engulfed by the context of the affluent and civil world of the Los Angeles entertainment industry.  Read more>>

Shannon Motzer

Most people would never know that I suffer with severe anxiety. This has been something that I have struggled with my entire life and am still in the process of managing it on a daily basis. I think this stems from not ever feeling good enough and constant people pleasing beginning in my childhood. Fortunately, having my daughter at 23 gave me a purpose to not let the anxiety take over. Read more>>

Chrissy Hartmann

So, when I find myself glaring at the mocking silence of the cursor on my screen I always wonder if this is the so called “writers block” that taunts so many authors. “Creative block,” they call it. Pfft, as if. I maintain that such a thing doesn’t exist—yet here I am, not writing. Honestly, I don’t subscribe to the concept of “creative block.” Read more>>

Syncere Hatch

As a creative well all sometimes just get to a point in life where we go through a phase of not knowing what comes next. Whether that’s in music, life or just everyday living. When I find myself at that point which (I have a few times) I just envision where I want to be and where I’m at currently. Where I want to be gives me the inspiration and motivation to Continue because I know I have so many goals that I want to accomplish. Read more>>

Monica Vega

I always overcome creative blocks as an artist when I take a deep breath and step back from the situation I’m going through.My normal is working in my skilled set of visual art and when I am not flowing in that area I know that I have a block. To push myself is going to be a lot more detrimental to my craft than to just step back and wait until my mind is ready. Read more>>

Maria Dimanshtein

Creativity block is something I have encountered multiple times. As someone who suffers from depression, I can lose touch with vitality and the excitement of life, making it hard to find meaning in the mundane, and creativity deserts me in those moments. It may seem like I will never create anything again because there is simply nothing I have to express to the world.  Read more>>

Bianca Turner

For many years I was lucky because I did not experience any creativity block. However, lately, because I am going through some family issues, it was hard to find my peace and relaxation therapy in painting. All of the sudden I was left staring at a blank canvas and not seeing anything in front of my eyes or in my mind. I panicked.  Read more>>

Matthew Mahler

Bouts with artist’s block have (and most likely will continue to) plague my process for as long as I continue to make work. They often strike at what feels like the most inopportune time and stick around far longer than I’m comfortable with. Read more>>

Megha Parhar

I think by coming to accept and acknowledge that creativity blocks are unavoidable and just a part of the process, so you ride them out for as long as they last. I’ve found that I usually get two kinds of blocks, one is from burn out, and exhaustion when I’ve been doing too much for too long and not resting – it doesn’t matter whether it’s from art, day job, family whatever it may be. Read more>>

August Broos

I grew up with a very active imagination and always kind of trusted my path. I let my intuition guide me through moments which felt like something is holding me back. Whenever creative blocks might appear on the horizon, I take a step back. Or even more. I think it’s important to question yourself, what brought me to this point where I feel burned out or not being able to create anymore. Read more>>

Katie Douglas

I teach writing at the University of Arizona and currently, I teach all international students. My favorite part of this is the incredible diversity we have in class. My students are really what makes my passion for teaching continue to grow, even after doing it for years. Read more>>

Rebecca Martin

As an editor and author, I deal with creativity blocks all the time, whether in my own mind or in the authors I’m supporting. Classic writer’s block is usually described as staring at a blank page and not being able to get started, but really, these blocks can take so many forms. And they can be so debilitating, as they stall us in our efforts and trigger all sorts of mental health or even just practical issues! Read more>>

Nubia Emmon

For me, when I get writers block it’s simple, I get up and get out. A change of scenery helps, becoming active, getting brain food always helps. I have to remind myself ‘Don’t force it, you will get yourself frustrated’. Typically when I step away for two or three hours, sometimes a day, I can find my way back into the groove and moving seamlessly once again. Read more>>

Jonathan Yanez

There is no such thing as writer’s block. People just like to make excuses for their lack of discipline. If writer’s block was a real thing then why is there no teacher’s block or plumber’s block? Over the last 13 years of writing books and movies, I’ve gotten really honest with myself. One of my favorite quotes is that you get to keep the excuses you argue for.  Read more>>