Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to read this – even if this is the furthest you get! Before you do read any further, I’d like to point out that I’m only just beginning my mental health journey to recovery. I can’t give you any secrets or quick fixes of how you can turn your life around. At the time of writing this blog, I’ve only had 4 sessions with my therapist so I’m a true recovery newbie! I hope this post will give you a little bit of a better understanding behind my point of view!
I know I’ve mentioned my reasons for starting Happea Minds a few times, but you may be wondering why I decided to start it without actually overcoming my own hurdles first. It’s always been a dream to create a safe space for people to feel like they can share anything they need to without feeling embarrassed or like they’re being judged. I want it to be somewhere where you can look for “answers” but also just somewhere that you can feel understood and listened to. Of course, everyone has a different experience with mental health but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any overlaps or similarities. We are better together. Happea Minds is my way of letting you know that I get that it can be hard. I get that life can make you feel absolutely terrible and hopeless; it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line though. Mental illnesses aren’t a sign of weakness. They show strength: you still show up every day and that’s more than enough.
“You might not be there yet, but look how far you’ve come”
One of the biggest obstacles I have had to get over was realising that there is no “normal”. We are all so unique and we’re all on such different life paths. Recovering or learning to live with any mental illness isn’t about getting back to normal, it’s about finding your own new norm. It’s learning to live in a way that suits you, while holding onto the hope that gets you through the bad times in your life.
Personally, my family unit and my two kitties – Charley and Leya – are my biggest beacons of hope; my reasons for wanting to get better. I’m a major introvert, so I much prefer spending time with my cats than with the majority of people! This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to take my mum out shopping or go with my family for a meal from time to time. These have become rare occasions and it’s something that I look forward to as I start taking steps outside my comfort zone to “get better”.
Life is a journey, not a destination. For this reason, you can never assume that if you have a good day, you’ll never have a bad day again. Instead, you learn how to cope with the bad days and how to make the good days even better!
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end”