Almost exactly 3 years ago, my life was seemingly perfect until a major spanner threw me for a loop. I was left feeling completely abandoned with no answers and no understanding of what had transpired. In my distraught despair, my friend Frantz offered me to spend 3 weeks in Paris to help me escape. I couldn’t face anyone or want to deal with questions I couldn’t answer. When I got to Paris, Frantz got all the challenging parts of who I was, broken, resentful and stubborn. He’d call me to leave the apartment and not dwell in my misery, he planned the best dinners with the best view, we went to La Plagne for his annual ski trip and even Berlin for a quick New Years celebration —all in the name of being there for a friend. I finally took walks outside of his apartment, spent more of my days hanging out instead of resigning to my room and started to stock up on my fav French snacks! I was extremely lucky to say the least.
But I know not many have the luxury of dealing with mental or emotional problems through an escape. Sometimes the pain is much to real and “snapping out of it” is not an option. I saw therapists this year in the midst of dealing with my own pain and it has not been easy. This time I decided to walk through the fire instead of beating around the bush, I’m lucky I have good friends, I’m lucky to have my @supparetreat community where no one fights their battles feeling alone and I’m lucky I’m no longer afraid of my feelings.
Don’t wait too long until you make yourself a priority, it may seem easier to ignore how you feel but it’ll be more difficult to maintain the walls that surround you which block any potential of light to come through. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
This is my mental health journey and I urge you to speak to a professional, find a friend to hold space and not judge your feelings and more importantly work for your own happiness.
#worldmentalhealthday #mentalhealthforall
