sitting with the trees

last friday was world mental health day—

as important day it is - i find this day extra special because it was the first time i felt confident enough to be candid about my mental health. the first time i posted for it about 4 years ago, i was terrified but felt so called to share. some of the response i received made me feel like i was someone to be pitied. but the louder response reinforced that sharing our stories is so important. even if only one person resonates.

almost half of U.S. adults will experience a diagnosable mental health condition in their lifetime.

you are not alone and mental health is not something to pity.

i documented less this year about my mental health than any other year. i’ve also now been binge free for 10 months, the longest i’ve been since developing an eating disorder.

medication has played a massive role in my healing this past year. it has provided me the time and space to focus on life outside of my depression. i actively felt a weight off of my shoulder the day i decided to start. i have only weened off my meds now for three weeks, but i’m feeling good.

while i may not have shared as much this past year publicly about my mental health, i have experienced so much change. all of which has contributed greatly to my growth and my mental health. i’m grateful everyday for my support system, and spending time nurturing those relationships has been so special.

additionally, social media is a beast of it’s own. if you found this blog through my social media, thank you for taking the time to stop scrolling and read.

we see so much on the day to day that is not easy to process. scrolling through loads of negative to cling on to that one thing that might make us smile or laugh.

sit with the trees, move your body, fall in love, call an old friend, reflect and journal, ask for help, breathe an inch deeper, take a cold shower, sit in sunshine, read and take notes, ask questions to a stranger, try something and fail, explore new places, take a different route to work, listen to an album all the way through, bring up an uncomfortable conversation —

we have to remind ourselves what life is all about when we forget.

you are capable of so much and more.