Introduction

I’m 24, and I’ve decided to write a blog detailing the past years of my life. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and I feel like my story is worth telling. I want to tell it while it’s more fresh in my mind, because I feel as though I will forget a lot of details as I age. My story is similar to many others, but few feel comfortable sharing what their experience has been like. We live in a society where it is still difficult to talk about mental health, let alone be open about our mental illnesses. Though we have made progress, stigma still exists, as others struggle to understand how the brain could ever get sick. Over the years, I’ve read others’ accounts of their journey through mental illness, and have been inspired by people’s openness and resilience. I’ve learned to be less hard on myself, and to understand that mental illnesses are real, debilitating diseases that can deeply affect people’s lives. I learned that I am not alone in my struggles, and that our struggles need to be shared far and wide to improve access to life-saving care. Too many people can’t access the help they need, and deteriorate on waitlists.

Thank you for reading my stories. I hope you are able to learn something, and at the very least have more compassion for those struggling with mental health issues.

TW: eating disorders/disordered eating behaviours, suicidal thinking, depression