“‘Say something before it’s too late!’ I couldn’t speak up. I could not say the words my mind was telling me to say. I was trapped, and I couldn’t escape. It was because I had this immense fear holding me back.”
‘I saw fear in my son’s eyes. My voice was imprisoned in my body. I couldn’t do it on my own.’: Woman and son diagnosed with selective mutism, ‘Help is out there’
‘I’m trying mommy, I’m trying. I love you.’ When I looked down, I saw blood. Why am I being punished?’: After miscarriage, woman has miracle baby, ‘I would do it over and over again for her.’
“Why did we have to wait until 12 weeks? That was a stupid rule. After the wedding, we ended up telling pretty much everyone. Family, friends.Then I woke up to use the bathroom. When I looked down, I saw blood.”
‘I think something’s wrong.’ He’s been here 7 years and I feel like we’ve just met. I struggle to get out of bed.’: Special needs mom advocates for mental health, ‘It’s okay to not be okay’
“There were 12 of us under one roof and not enough to go around. I remember braiding one of my classmate’s hair, in order to make some extra cash. I sat and wondered what her life was like.”
‘A guy passed me and asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I was preparing to jump into the cold lake and end everything once and for all.’: Suicide attempt survivor urges ‘the sun will shine again for you’
“My body was shaking. Handful after handful of pills, I could feel myself fading away. I remember the familiar sound of sirens blaring. ‘Lay still!’ I cried and screamed and tried to fight as they held me down. The nurse said, ‘I have to do this if I’m going to save your life and I have every intention of doing just that.’ I was begging to die.”
‘Will I ever be good enough for this job? I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. Some days, I fantisize about running away.’: Mom shares candid reality of motherhood, ‘You will conquer today just like every other’
“I doubt the decisions I make for my family. I spend another day cleaning the house, just to watch it be destroyed in 5 minutes. Some days, I don’t want to be the responsible one. I fantasize about running away. And still, my kids are the best thing to ever happen to me.”
‘We take the backseat. Our job never ends. We give every bit of who we are and stare at reflections, searching for a small part of who we once were.’: Mom urges ‘you’re motherf**king superwoman’
“We live repetitive groundhog days. We argue with tiny people who think they know better. We cook meals that aren’t up to their satisfaction, and bend over backwards until we collapse. We may not get ‘paid’ for our job, but it’s 24/7. Our lives consist of putting everyone else first.”
‘I see blood on me, but from where?! It’s 2:15 a.m. now, and I’m crying in the bathroom. I don’t like hurting out loud. What was this doing to us?’: Woman struggles with ‘mental hurricane’ during undiagnosed illness
“I’m scared.’ I shook and started crying from the sharp pains. My hand cramped up; I couldn’t open it anymore. ‘I’m here, and I got this, and I got you.'”
‘I feel like I’m pissing off a lot of people. I break my back, good mood, and spirit in pursuit of the best me. Don’t mock.’: Mom struggling with best decisions asks for understanding, ‘You have no idea’
“I’m too much or too little of something, or I’m doing too much or too little of something I should or shouldn’t be doing. Sometimes you’ve got to call other people out and now it’s time for that.”
‘I have proof I’m not lazy. The doctor said, ‘You’ll have challenges.’ Sometimes I can’t form a sentence.’: Woman diagnosed with narcolepsy, ‘I refuse to let it control my life’
“I sat motionless in my car, trying to process what it all meant. The world felt so quiet and so loud at the same time, as if it wasn’t the world’s noise I was hearing but the ringing in your ears you hear when you’re about to get sick.”
‘Honey, can you come pick me up? I think something is really wrong with me.’ I felt strong vibrations all throughout my body.’: Woman shares tips for managing anxiety, ‘I used to think self-care was mani-pedis and face masks’
“I pulled over. I was sitting on the side of the road, shaking as I held my son’s little hand – completely unaware of what was happening. Cars sounded louder, the sunlight brighter. The back of my neck felt like a claw squeezing me. I could no longer take a deep breath. I was holding on for dear life.”
