Mental Illness Awareness Week: What I Want You to Know

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has designated October 6-12 as Mental Illness Awareness Week. I was diagnosed with PTSD, Depression, and Bipolar Disorder by the time I was 18. Here’s what I want people to know about mental illness, based on my personal journey:

There is no blood test for a mental illness diagnosis. I was diagnosed based on symptoms presenting during a stressful life stage, when I was very ill physically.

I tried numerous medications to suppress the symptoms. Some helped a little. Some made my symptoms worse.

I felt completely disconnected from my body and life for years. I didn’t trust my feelings. I hated my brain.

I allowed my label to become my identity, resigning myself to a life of brokenness and mental instability.

After the birth of my daughter twenty years ago, I started making small changes to my lifestyle, seeing improvements in my mental health as a result.

I never realized how sleep, movement, relaxation, and nutrition practices played a huge role in my mental health. This was a game-changer.

When I discovered the gut-brain connection over ten years ago, everything fell into place. My symptoms were no longer compartmentalized. I felt validated.

I share my story in hope that we can grow in awareness that recovery is possible. Putting a severe mental illness into remission is possible. I’m living proof of this.

I hope that one day, practitioners will place as much of an emphasis on getting to the root of symptoms as they do in diagnosing from a checklist and suppressing them. We can’t have awareness without solutions. But until then, I’ll keep sharing my story—and all the tools I’ve picked up along the way.

Continue reading “Mental Illness Awareness Week: What I Want You to Know” →

Mental Health Awareness Month: What it Means to Be a Survivor

Someone recently asked me, “What do you mean when you say you are a survivor of bipolar disorder?” I paused for a second. What does it mean?

I ended up responding with this, “I no longer exhibit the symptoms of bipolar disorder.“

I’ve been thinking about this conversation ever since.

Does not exhibiting symptoms of bipolar disorder mean that I no longer suffer from this illness?

Did my diagnosis match my symptomology in the first place?

This caused me to reflect back on the symptoms of bipolar disorder, which consists of fluctuation between a depressed state and a manic state.

Continue reading “Mental Health Awareness Month: What it Means to Be a Survivor” →

Gut Health 101: Part 1 – What is Leaky Gut?

Aside from epigenetics, one discovery that has completely changed the way I view my body’s healing ability is gut health. Learning how to take care of my gut transformed my mental health.

5 years ago, the term was a mystery to me. I thought probiotics were only necessary when taking an antibiotic. And it’s true – considering the fact that most of the food we eat contains antibiotics, probiotics are a necessity.

The reality is, the state of our gut bacteria determines much of our health and well-being, from our immune system to mental health to most chronic diseases plaguing people in the 21st century.

From a young age, I was on antibiotics, steroids, and various medications that disrupt gut bacteria. I suffered from intense sugar cravings and yeast infections, major signs that my gut needed balancing. The state of my gut health, those genetic predispositions I mentioned earlier, and witnessing a traumatic event at the age of 9 are what I believe led to my mental illness crisis in my teens and 20s. It’s alllll connected. Continue reading “Gut Health 101: Part 1 – What is Leaky Gut?” →