Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the Action. You don’t have to be confident. Just do it and the confidence will follow. Carrie Fisher
I always admired Carrie Fisher’s feisty, unapologetic spirit! She empowered and inspired little girls, in the 80’s like me with her role as Princess Leia. She was superbly funny in real life and a strong advocate for mental health! ❤️
It took a long time for me to call my anxiety/panic disorder a mental health issue because of the stigmas associated with using the label “mental health”. Over the years it was implied through movies and other outlets that someone (usually women) with mental health issues were crazy, incapable, irrational, prone to mental break downs/outbursts and likely to end up in some form of institutional care. These broad stroke perceptions of mental health have denied women proper treatment, caused many to suffer in silence and some to take their own lives.
In the words of Jessie J “it’s okay not to be okay” and it’s okay to ask for help! Having a mental health issue doesn’t mean you lack intelligence or that you’re weak and it definitely doesn’t mean you’re incapable of achieving personal goals or successes! I can’t tell you how many times people have assumed I can’t do something because of my “anxiety”, I have even been told I’m lucky my husband is a good guy and has stuck around for so long, as if I possessed no other qualities or worth. Those words definitely hurt, but more so showed me there is still a huge lack of understanding and support when it come to mental health.
If you have a mental health issue please make time talk with someone you trust and get the help you need. Know your worth! Surround yourself with people who don’t see your mental health as a hindrance of your abilities, because you need people you can be candid with, who will lift you and support you without judgement. It’s not easy and I’m not naive to the struggle!
So, I’ll leave you with something I journaled that is deeply personal, unfinished, evolving, but if it helps one person know they’re not alone it’s worth it…
I am not perfect…
I struggle with anxiety and depression and feeling like I’m failing. I struggle with not being able to fix things that are out of my control. I struggle to find purpose.
I struggle!
Some days those struggles leave me with nothing to give. I’m overwhelmed! I’m exhausted! I’m bruised and broken!
I struggle!
I struggle with fear and feeling not good enough, but I know those feelings are temporary and will pass.
I struggle, but…
there are also days I feel like super woman! I get things done! I crush it! I give one hundred and ten percent of myself to my family and others! I am faithful, loyal, trustworthy, loving, empathetic, creative and worthy!
I am enough!
Coffee, Chocolate & Xanax 