Leaving treatment can sometimes be just as scary and overwhelming as going. There’s so much focus on getting into treatment, stabilizing, learning skills, and beginning recovery. There’s far less conversation about what happens when you leave. I remember thinking that…
Why I Stopped Feeling Ashamed of Taking Medication for My Mental Health
For a long time, I viewed my need for mental health medication with shame rather than seeing it as an important tool for my well-being. This shame didn’t develop in isolation. When I started struggling with depression in high school,…
Why Being “Fully Healed” Is A Myth
I thought healing and mental health recovery meant reaching a point where I would never struggle again. When I first entered treatment, I thought I would leave a completely different person. Not just better, but also fixed and healed. I…
Things I Wish People Understood About Mental Health Struggles
Some of the lowest points of my life looked completely normal from the outside. I still smiled and showed up to things. I tried to act like everything was okay. Meanwhile, I was exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected from myself, and terrified…
I’m Not Lazy, I’m Depressed
“Lazy.” That was the word I used to use for myself. Lazy for missing assignments, staying in bed too long, and falling behind in college classes I genuinely cared about. Lazy for ignoring emails I desperately wanted to answer and…
Beyond the Rain Cloud: Understanding Depression and Hope
I don’t remember the first time I felt depressed. There wasn’t a dramatic moment or a breakdown. There was just a slow, quiet loss of joy, of energy, of hope… until one day I realized that I couldn’t remember what…