*Disclaimer: I feel very passionate about being 100% real and honest on my blog. That means I will sometimes be sharing personal experiences that might be a trigger for some of you reading it. Please be aware of that before reading the below post (and any posts on my blog).
Sometimes, I sit down to write here in this space and think, “What the hell am I doing?”
Sometimes, I feel like I haven’t suffered enough to write and share my story.
What?!
Yeah. That makes no sense really. I’ve had depression for almost my entire life and I’ve been dealing with an anxiety disorder for about half the time as well and have also gone through postpartum depression and lots of ups and downs in my life.
I have a story to tell. I have my experiences and pain and feelings to share.
Sometimes I feel like my story isn’t worthy or important enough.
I’ve never attempted suicide, I’ve never been in an inpatient program, I’ve never had a major crisis that I had to call a hotline or anything like that.
I have had suicidal thoughts, but have never wanted to act on them.
I’ve had thoughts of self harm but haven’t acted on them since I was a young teen and even then, it was minimal of digging my nails into my arm.
I do have panic attacks that make me stop breathing and I think I might die from the pain sitting in my gut.
I have days with my depression when I can’t get off the couch and just want to sleep.
Is my story not important just because I’m suffering in a different way than others? Of course not.
My story is important.
That’s what I’m trying to remind myself every time I sit down to write about it.
That’s why I’m writing now, to tell you that your story is important too.
Just because you aren’t suffering the same as someone else, doesn’t mean you aren’t suffering and that your story doesn’t count. It counts, it’s worthy, it’s important.
It’s your story and you need to share it. Others need to hear it, to know that there is someone out there who feels the same.
You think you don’t need to share or shouldn’t share because your life doesn’t suck as much as others? Trust me, there are others who feel the same and are out there screaming to themselves, wondering if they are the only ones. Share and say, “It’s not just you.”
Share: Start telling your story, now today. Write about it in the comments below, or write a blog post and share the link below.
Write your story on Medium and submit it to my new collection: You Are Not Alone
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