I raise my voice and whisper (We are not alone)

This is a different kind of post than I usually write. While I love to share my opinions on crafting and fashion I thought it was time to share another more personal facet of my life. It is my hope by my sharing my personal struggles with mental illness as well as my coping mechanisms that I might a few of the many others who share my affliction.


I raise my voice and whisper

For all of those who wish they could shout. For all of those who feel they are all alone in this world.

You are not alone.

I am mentally ill. I am not alone; mental illness affects approximately 1 in 5 Canadians and has indirectly affected all Canadians at sometime. (Canadian Mental Health Association)
While mental illness is something everyone is aware of it is also rampantly ignored, brushed off and dismissed and mislabelled as: stress, sadness, laziness. It can also be mislabelled as what are commonly thought of as positive attributes like being outgoing and extroverted

We stay hidden because of the shame we feel because we are so easily dismissed. It is this dismissal that will be our undoing. For when we choose to isolate ourselves and hide from the world is when we are most vulnerable to being consumed by the darkness that is mental illness.

Recently in my life I found myself consumed by this darkness. I was stuck in pit of negative thought and despair from which I felt there was no escape. I choose to isolate myself from the world I loved and go into hiding to revel in my darkness. I choose to confide in one very special loved one but that was not enough. They tried their best to find me the help needed but I was too overwhelmed to accept assistance at that time but finally I realised I would quickly lose everything that meant anything special to me if I didn’t help myself. I needed to open up to others and accept their help. Slowly I began to realise the more I confessed my condition the less alone I felt. I began to feel empowered as the heavy burden of silence slowly lifted.

I am still sick; technically I am diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and that is something that I will probably struggle with for the rest of my life but now I know I shouldn’t do it alone and I don’t have to. I have the support of all my family and friends and I also know that 1 in 5 of you reading this relates to me and my struggles. We have each other. We are not alone.