Sharing Your Story

There was a time when I was very hesitant to share with others that I had anxiety and depression. In my mind, if people heard that, they would think that I was crazy and that there was something wrong with me. I guess that totally plays into the stigma that I'm trying to help break, but at that point in my life, I didn't fully understand what was even going on. Those who were close to me knew what I was dealing with and how bad it was getting, but I tried very hard to look "normal" to everyone. After my suicide attempt, I did open up a bit more to people, but I was still pretty guarded about sharing details of what I was struggling with. It was only after I lost my dad that I started to be more vocal about mental health and how negatively it can affect you and your loved ones.

In recent months, I have been pretty open with people I meet or start talking to. I tell them what I deal with and sometimes, depending on the conversation, I'll tell them I lost my dad and how. I am still kind of surprised about how many people have opened up to me and shared their story. One weekend, my neighborhood was having our annual garage sale and my mom, Levi and I were walking around seeing if we could find any sweet deals. (I did get a copy of Big Little Lies for $.50🙌🏻 ) My mom and I started chatting with a nice lady and planned an evening for her to stop over at my house to tell us about some skincare products. The evening she came over, I have no idea how, but my mom and I ended up telling her about my dad. She looked a little shocked, then told us that she and her husband recently had to deal with a suicide in the family - her stepson.

A few weeks later, I went to my first appointment at my new dentist. When they asked me why I had decided to switch, I hesitated at first, but then I told them the truth. My old dentist's office was located right near the gun shop where my dad purchased the gun he used and I didn't want to go anywhere near that place. My hygienist shared with me that she lost her husband to suicide by firearm as well. It's never enjoyable to hear that someone else has an experience similar to yours, but there is something incredibly comforting about meeting a person who has some understanding of what you went through. My friends have been absolutely phenomenal and supportive, and I love each of them dearly, but they can only sympathize with me. These few people have been able to empathize. I could feel their relief at having someone to talk to who understood, and I felt that same comfort. These are just 2 experiences of many that I have had over the last few months.

I know there can be a fine line between being open/honest and oversharing, so you have to be aware of where you are, your audience and the tone of the conversation. I have found that mental health has affected more people than you might think, so if you're ever on the fence about opening up to someone, try it. You might be surprised and you might find that you are just the person they needed to talk to that day, or vice versa.

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