Character matters to me. It's what I value most about myself because it's a currency I control, and I have strong feelings about human decency. We learn about what character means and what contributes to it as early as kindergarten. As we get older, we continue to...
Visiting Pearl Harbour the week before the 2024 US Election felt right—it was a time to honour the past and, in some respects, bid adieu to certain rights and freedoms... Being at Pearl Harbor was unlike any other historical site I had visited. It wasn’t simply about...
If I polled a random sampling of people asking them to describe 2020 in one word, I think the clear winner would be sadness. A year filled with heartache and loss felt by each of us around the world - we endured heartache and crippling sadness as a global...
Writing is therapeutic for me, which means I write when I'm sad. I also write when I'm happy or feeling like I'm making progress in some area of my life that has been lacking, but I mostly write when I'm sad. Today I am sad. Very sad. My stepdad passed away yesterday...
It’s Bell Let’s Talk Day.
The only way you don’t know what that is is if you don’t use social media, don’t live in Canada or live off the grid.
Today is a day to talk about mental illness. A whole day! Wow. I know, I know… it’s just ONE day to ensure people are talking about it. So it’s a good thing. Right? Let’s getting people talking! Today.
Well, unless people are talking about it everyday one day doesn’t matter to me. I live everyday with moderate depression, generalized anxiety and OCD.
My family also lives with moderate depression, generalize anxiety and OCD – because of me. We talk about it daily. Because we have to. It’s our life. And don’t think it’s just my life – it’s not. We ALL live with my crazy.
I use blogging as a way to medicate myself. I find writing about how I feel and what I’m going through to be therapeutic. I do it for me. People tell me it helps them too. AMAZING. Its great that by sharing I’m helping others. Makes my heart smile.
But if I’m the only one sharing, how are more people going to learn what it’s like to live like this? What is this like? Well, let me tell you.
It’s being trapped under a wall of water burying you alive.
It’s constant screams in your head when you are sitting at a meeting at work.
It’s wanting to cut yourself with a can because it’s just sitting there.
It’s needing to be sad, confused, stressed, dangerous and desperate all in the same moment. And in that moment you are smiling at friends at dinner.
And worse. ALL. THE. TIME.
If this blog helps you, well that is amazing. All I ask in return is that you continue to learn about mental illness and that you educate others. The more we all know the better we all will be.
And remember, it’s not only the person WITH mental illness that suffers. It’s our families, friends and colleagues – and so many don’t even know why they are suffering.
It’s being trapped under a wall of water burying you alive.
So while I applaud companies like Bell because they look to engage the public in conversation about mental illness – they even donate 5 cents each time you post in social with #BellLetsTalk to mental illness initiatives – one day is not enough. And it’s all of our responsibility.
So I’m going to challenge you all to talk about mental illness on any of the other 364 days this year. Let’s see who’s up for the challenge.
Now go tweet #BellLetsTalk to raise money for mental Illness initiatives!
Character matters to me. It's what I value most about myself because it's a currency I control, and I have strong feelings about human decency. We learn about what character means and what contributes to it as early as kindergarten. As we get older, we continue to...
Visiting Pearl Harbour the week before the 2024 US Election felt right—it was a time to honour the past and, in some respects, bid adieu to certain rights and freedoms... Being at Pearl Harbor was unlike any other historical site I had visited. It wasn’t simply about...
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I do enjoy your blogs Erin and feel so encouraged by your frankness about your own experience of mental illness. My depression presents itself differently than yours but is equally debilitating. I have difficulty functioning with even the simplest of tasks or activities–I tend to shut right down and experience a heaviness like wearing a wet quilt around me. It affects all aspects of my life but only a handful of close friends even know about it. I live alone so the temptation to isolate and hide is very strong.
My brothers and my mother each have their experiences of mental health challenges, more severe than mine, so they depend on me…and I depend on friends and my faith to give me the strength to keep going.
Thank you so much again. Peace.
Sue xo
Thanks Sue. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Wish I could do more Saturdays but fam schedules… but anytime you want to chat. I’m here. And I get the wet quilt. I live that too. Maybe we can help each other. E. xo