So, real talk moment 🖤
I post a lot of pictures where I'm smiling or trying in some way to promote body confidence. Every once in a while I post about my battle with mental illness. Well, because that shit is important! But it's also not easy to do, to talk about, to be vulnerable, show my true emotions. In this picture you can see the bags that hold a permanent home under my eyes from a never ending battle with demons of my mind. I admit that i DO NOT love myself everyday, and don't think anyone does. But we try. Recently I spend more time fighting thoughts that everyone in my life would just be better off without me than embracing thoughts of love for myself or allowing the love shown for me in.
About a week ago i finally took steps to get help in understanding and hopefully one day overcoming my depression. And I am not ashamed of that. I've been on medication for almost a year, and it helps, but it's not enough.
In light of today being remembrance day I felt it was important to talk about getting help. I am very very grateful for our military, and those who fought for our freedom, and those who still do.
But those amazing people are exposed to experiences that we can not even begin to imagine. And then are told that they need to "be tough and power through it." That is WRONG! At the time yes, get through it. But after, talk about it! Talk about it with friends, family, a professional. Find a way to get help processing those experiences. Because if you don't they just sit with you. You shove them down again and again until it not longer only affects your mind, it affects you physically, as well as your relationships.
PTSD and generalized depression are both very close to my heart. I have watched someone that I look up to, one of my biggest hero's that I love and can't imagine life without battle PTSD without help for years. When they got help I was relieved and happy and grateful. But what it took for them to finally get help was a lot because they thought they needed to be "tough."
So please find a way to talk about it! Get help if you need to. THERE IS NO SHAME IN GETTING HELP WITH YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS 🖤🖤
