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.

Seth Sypko

Mental health, for me, has traditionally been a struggle. I know that I’m not alone in that, but way in which it’s manifested for me has been in the form of a life-long, and at times, crippling depression.

As a kid, I didn’t really understand what was up with me, why I always felt so bummed out. What I did know, from very early on, was that I was inherently imaginative and creative. I had the good fortune of mostly being left to my own devices and having a mother that worked at a decent art museum.  Read More>>

Paige Bernard

I have struggled with anxiety and depression since I was young. My career in professional dance would occasionally heighten feelings of low self-esteem, worrying, and self hatred. What kept me going were the people around me that I knew supported me fiercely, and looked up to me. People like my father, who helped fund my dancing while working at a coal mine for 34 years of his life, on 12 hour shifts.  Read More>>

Marissa Denson

I feel like my whole life has revolved around mental health – and not just my own. When I was 9 my father took his own life and lost the battle to mental health. Ever since then I’ve been more of an empathetic person, I’m very aware of people in need and I very much so cling to them. I think that’s where my love for animals sparked as well – considering everyone always says that animals love unconditionally. They really do if you treat them well and show them respect. Read More>>

Maddox Beverly

Managing depression and anxiety can present significant challenges in maintaining consistent productivity, especially in the creative field. I sometimes find it necessary to step away from my work for a few days to reset and return with a refreshed mindset. Taking intentional breaks allows me to regain focus and approach my tasks with renewed energy. Read More>>

Connor Reed

Thank you for having me . To this day, even as a therapist, when it comes to describing my personal challenges with mental health I can feel the fear of uncertainty connected to the judgment of stigma still prevalent within our society in my heart. Growing up my emotional intelligence was stunted in the distorted image of what strength is. “Don’t cry, keep it in, do it alone” -a sense of failure and weakness in asking for help, a sense of isolation and loneliness that came with such rigid expectations. Read More>>

Jordan Scruggs

Living with severe anxiety, depression, and ADD—diagnosed only in adulthood—has been an uphill battle. But I’ve found my escape and strength in music and streaming; they silence the noise and make me feel alive. Outside of those moments, I face intense struggles, but I’ve learned to confront these challenges head-on, reminding myself they’re temporary and that every step forward, no matter how small, is progress. It’s not easy, but passion and persistence keep me striving for something greater. Read More>>

Lydia Gatzow

I have been painting and drawing my whole life as a way of taking refuge, from the trauma I experienced as a child and also clinical depression that runs in my family. It wasn’t until the recovery of a near death experience that “plein air painting” became a life line. I remember the nurses helped to gather up my paints and set up a chair down by a pond. They walked me slowly down the hill just behind the facility, as I awkwardly shuffled with my crutches and full torso brace.  Read More>>

Issa Ibrahim

I developed mental illness following a severe marijuana addiction. I was smoking so much to cope with the toxic racial environment of New York City in the late 1980s. Those stressors in addition to losing my father to cancer and watching my black middle class life fall through the cracks into borderline poverty created a perfect storm for addiction and mental illness. With no support, and feeling the stigma against mental health that I too fostered, my illness went unchecked until it was too late. Read More>>

Erin Johnson

Mental health challenges are something I’ve faced, and I’ve learned that the path to healing and strength isn’t always linear. There were days when it felt like nothing was going to get better, and I questioned my resilience. But through it all, I discovered that persistence doesn’t mean always feeling okay—it means showing up for yourself, even when it feels hard. I reached out for help, even when it felt uncomfortable.  Read More>>

Shakina Rush

I overcame by surrendering to God’s love, allowing it to heal every broken place and redefine my worth. I faced my truth, no running, no masking just raw honesty with myself and with Him.

Despite my struggles with mental health, I chose to believe I am deserving of love, wholeness, and grace. I let go of fear, shame, and the need for validation, stepping fully into my true self unapologetically and freely. Read More>>