Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Define Your Own Perception, Part VIII

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who gets excited bout meeting bloggers from across the world. It makes me feel like the world is at my fingertips. Today, we have a visitor all the way from Australia!

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Kirsty is broaching the topic of mental health, and I know we ALL have encountered this in one way or another. I personally have family members that suffer, sometimes in silence, and this reminds me that we must all pay attention to those around us.
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I used to think... that mental health could be avoided and controlled through getting down and sweaty exercising, eating rabbit food (all of the good things), surrounding yourself by happy and encouraging people and having a positive outlook. I NEVER thought I would suffer from a mental health illness. I am bright and bubbly and I love life and I am energetic and enthusiastic and I have a loving partner and an amazing family and friends who own my heart. Yet none of that stopped ME, yes ME, from falling victim to Depression.

Now I know... that mental illnesses don’t discriminate against age, race, personalities, the amount of money you earn, the job you have or the people in your life. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes it’s unavoidable. And sometimes it happens, and it’s not until after you have gotten better that you realise that all of the signs were there and that your body was SCREAMING at you through dark circles under your eyes and ulcers in your mouth to STOP. It’s so incredibly important to listen to your body, to know your limitations and to know when you need to take a break and have some ‘me’ time. I also know that it’s okay NOT to be PERFECT all of the time. It’s okay to put up your hand and say that you are struggling with something. It’s okay to let people know that you are NOT okay. It’s okay to not be HAPPY all of the time. And most importantly, it’s okay to say NO. It’s also so incredibly important to value your health and happiness above everything else. Honestly. It’s those two things that we often take for granted that are the foundation for loving life and being able to love, give and provide for those around you.

People see me as... inspirational, bright, bubbly, loud, crazy and confident.

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But I hope that they know... that I truly believe that everyone is inspirational in their own right. That I’m not ALWAYS bright and bubbly, that I can be tired, grumpy and QUIET (tee hee) sometimes! And that my life, while it might seem perfect from the outside, isn’t perfect, but I LOVE it. I LOVE LIFE. And I love the people in my life so incredibly much. I don’t know where my career is going, I’m scared to become a mum, I worry about money from time to time but I realise that none of that matters as long as me and the people in my life are healthy and happy.

I blog because... I want to create a space where people can feel comfortable to be able to talk about things that matter, things that are often swept under the carpet and bitched about. I want people to know that they aren’t alone in their struggles, that life is challenging yet rewarding, that it’s okay to take risks and to not know exactly where life is taking them, and that that’s okay. I want people to know that we’re all on a journey to self discovery, and that we can learn and laugh and travel down this road together! And above all, I want those who have suffered from a mental health issue, or who know of someone who is suffering from a mental health issue, or those who don’t know much about mental health, to accept, deal with and move on from it so that it doesn’t define them J

Much love all the way from an Aussie girl,
Kirsty x

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Thank you, thank you, for being so honest girl. I KNOW that there are many that need to know they are not alone and that they can have a voice.

I also looked up a few sites in case anyone has questions for themselves or anyone they know.
Understanding Depression
Mental Help

We must remember not to judge, but to reach out.
We all struggle, but we can all lift each other up!
I hope you know that I am here for each and every one of you.
Always.


10 comments:

P!nky said...

WOW, what a powerful story, thank you for sharing! <3

Mrs. Pancakes said...

Nice to meet you lady!

Dear Boys Love Mom said...

Love that!

Niken said...

Everyone is inspirational in their own way -- i do think so! great story

Anonymous said...

Great and inspiring post! I love this "Perception is Everything" series.

Meghan @ More from Meg said...

Great post - thanks for sharing!!

Nicole said...

Yet again, another amazing post from a wonderful person. I struggle with anxiety and depression, so I know how important it is to get help. And a lot of times you don't realize it until you're back to "normal". Thank you for shedding light on such an important topic!

Holly said...

I love that she shared her story! I'm in grad school for my clinical counseling degree, so I know how mental health can affect anyone! And Kirsty is right, many people suffer in silence until something happens that wakes them up to go seek help. You shouldn't be ashamed to get help! You only get one life, you don't want to waste it on something you can change. Good for Kirsty for getting help and loving life!!

Anonymous said...

I think if we teach kids that just because someone has a mental illness that shouldn't mean they should be treated differently just like we do with teaching race issues. There's a big stigma on people with mental illnesses like they've got the plague or something. There's a lot of people out there that say they or their children are ill and they're not. Too many lazy parents and not enough social support. Need to break down the walls of mental illness so people feel like they don't have to hide. I hid my depression and anxiety for years because I didn't want to deal with the questions and weird treatment.

Unknown said...

Thank you lovely ladies for your support and kind and encouraging words! I am SO passionate about creating awareness about mental health and "normalising" the illness just like any other!

There truly are so many amazing people ALL AROUND THE WORLD (I love meeting Americans/other nationalities through the blogging world and realising that we all face the same challenges!)

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