Last month, I wrote a series of blog posts covering some of my experiences with mental illness. They mostly focussed on my experience as a teenager, because that’s when my mental health was at its worst. But that’s not to say that I don’t still struggle.
The struggle is different now, though. Now, I’m trying to fight my mental illnesses, whereas before, I was defeated by them. And while I know that I’ll never completely beat them, there are still little victories, small wins, and that's enough. We're able to co-exist.
A friend of mine who recently blogged about her OCD mentioned how “recovery is a journey, not a destination”. And she’s so right.
It’s not necessarily about needing a cure; it’s about having the tools you need to be able to cope. It’s about having your illness be a part of you, like your hair or your eye colour – not something that completely defines you. It’s about accepting that there are bad days and bad moments, but recognising that they’re going to pass.
I have anxiety, but now I see that I’m more than that. It’s a part of my life, but my world is so much more than that.
