I live with: ADHD, depression and anxiety disorder. I have suffered with depression for 5 years and my anxiety for 1–2 years. I also have sensitivity which I get from my mom and I’m still working on coping with better, handling/managing my symptoms, thoughts and actions from the sensitivity. I have fully recovered from my depression and have slowly, even without realizing it, found ways to cope with anxiety. And lastly, my ADHD, I’ve realized I have to cope with it for the rest of my life. I take Concerta medication from my doctor to help me cope/manage my ADHD symptoms.
I’m currently in the process of getting my full diagnosis and plan to move on further with my mental health conditions with achieving more of myself again (from my relapse) along with my life purpose and true passions of mine that I’ve been meaning to work on.
I did a year of college, studying Office Administration. I suffered with my depression in that year in college, just barely made it through the year alive. Right now I am just taking time to work and do research and figure out what I want to do. I have thought about being a counsellor, teacher, or anything that involves helping those with mental health problems, where I can inspire others in tough situations, and such. I may be going back to Conestoga college to take one of the courses I didn’t pass.
But I’m more set on going to college for mental health counsellor or teacher. But need to do more research on both. But intend and plan to also achieve/work on my life purpose of inspiring change mainly with advice, inspiring words and actions plus some surprising others too of how I intend to create the inspiring change in our world.
Some of my passions are:
Listening to music: At times when I’m feeling anxious, music helps me ease my thoughts on the situation and when I feel ready to react properly to the situation, I feel more confident and more aware of what I should feel and think in the situation.
Inspiring others: I’m passionate about inspiring others with all that I’ve gained knowledge my experiences. I’ve inspired people with my first blog (Tumblr) and have helped people in tough times, (including those who suffer with mental illnesses: able to relate from personal experience; which I intend to help them through those hard yet unbearable times with mental health), and advice. Now currently have a new blog on Tumblr (hopelessromanticbelieber: Mental Health Superhero) where I still inspire others. Used to have a blog called Laura1646 on tumblr that was active for a few years till it was deleted for a personal reason April 29th 2015. Have more in dept detail of both bogs in my story on medium in link at the bottom.
Being creative: finding new ways from thinking differently/creatively in everything I possibly can when I set my mind to something. Those things that I want, I make sure it’s inspiring (positive), beautiful, encouraging, uplifting, happy and creative.
Being optimistic: I’ve come to realize from the things that I do and believe in (excluding the negative, bad and unsuccessful things), that I never give up, always find a way to make it work. Thinking of the movie: Tomorrowland with Britt Robertson and George Clooney which I felt I could relate to a lot for I believed that nothing is impossible (quoting: Cloud 9) and I don’t give up just like a few of these characters in the movie. I love how I’m so optimistic and I can’t wait to share my talent to inspire, creative mind and optimism with the world to show what I can do and what I’m capable of when I set my mind to the things that matter the world to me: aka my dreams and my life purpose!
Around the month of May (2016) with recovering from my depression, I realized then that I felt like I could fully embrace the person that I’ve been hiding even before the depression. Knowing the right things and not letting anyone or anything hold me back. Being confident, loving myself for the first time and others too that I feel I have accomplished with my recovery. But now that I’ve accomplished my recovery, I have so many plans I want to do with my life (as for I made it out alive from my depression) and also the fact that I feel more myself than I’ve ever felt in the 19, almost 20 years of my life. And lastly, I am proud to say that I’m truly ever so proud for all that I have accomplished with my recovery and all it gave me in return.
I may have suffered from life-threatening illnesses but I am here alive and mentally healthy and happy which I will never take for granted for any reason at all. Near the end of the first year recovering, I actually started to really and honestly feel that love within myself; loving myself for the very first time. It feels so amazing, I never thought it would feel Iike this.
Through all the times I’ve been through with my mental health issues, it has taught and given me a lot that I could only get from the experience than anything else could. And I’m so so grateful and happy that I went through what I went through for I’m at this point been feeling not ashamed of my mental illness for a month or so. And I’m way past letting my illness define me, believing that better, healthier and positive labels and things define me: confident, crazy goofy, optimistic, a belieber, creative, positive, happy, proud, beautiful and others that may be easily noticed when you meet me! I’m also one of those people who are grateful for suffering from any mental illness like depression for it gave me a better, new and improved me, taught me things that only someone experiencing a mental illness could, and much more. For all mental illness is and life-threatening it can be, there are many reasons & things that make someone living with a mental illness can be grateful for!
“It’s not happy people who are grateful but grateful people who are happy!”
A 19 year old rediscovering her
self, recreating and enjoying her life as she intends to: suffered from depression and anxiety #imnotashamed Who also intends to continue spreading awareness for mental health, promoting positive mental health and educating others (friends, family and others) on mental health to help contribute with end this nasty yet deadly stigma and discrimination around mental illness.
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