“I felt perpetually punished for existing. I was barred from running, then from even walking. I realized if I stayed this way, I would die.”
‘You don’t have to punish yourself.’ Blood dripped out of my nose and mouth. I believed I deserved my misery.’: Woman shares recovery journey with anorexia
‘I was born into it. This was my family, the people who were supposed to love and protect me.’: Sex trafficking survivor beats 12-year opioid addiction, bravely embarks on self-healing journey
“Lying in a hospital bed, after a 12-year battle with opiates, I knew I had to face the truth. I had to stop running from my childhood. I needed to face it head on, no matter how difficult. I transformed myself in front of the people who broke me, and then I left them all behind.”
‘At 16, I should’ve been going to sleepovers and sweet sixteens. Instead, I was being sold to men, repeatedly.’: Sex trafficking survivor graduates college with honors, advocates for others
“If I can turn my pain into empowerment to inspire others, then there is hope for those who are still stuck in the grips of human trafficking.”
‘This wasn’t your ‘mom-loses-her-crap-sometimes’ situation. I felt like a pressure cooker.’: Mom battles depression, ‘I’m a better mother when I’m my best self’
“There was a miscommunication about bringing my son lunch at school, and as a result, he was upset. I felt awful. The incident was small, but it pushed me over the edge. And I EXPLODED.”
‘My mom said, ‘I wanted to hold you and tell you it was going to be okay… but I wasn’t sure if it would.’: Woman with Major Depressive Disorder urges ‘you matter’
“I fought back tears all day. I’d have breakdowns in the back of the classroom. I didn’t talk to my sisters for 6 months while living under the same roof. I’d never felt so alone.”
‘You’re not good enough! You’re alone! No one loves you or cares about you!’: Woman struggling with depression, anxiety says ‘I’m worth it’
“I was alone in my apartment, overwhelmed by this pain in my chest. I grabbed a knife and sat in the dark. Tears ran down my face. The only noise was coming from my head and it was screaming at me.”
‘In the darkened kitchen, I ate pints of ice cream, boxes of candy, and whole packages of cookies.’: Woman battling mental illness says ‘I overshare so our kids know they can ask for help’
“I’d crawl into bed, face swollen and knuckles bloody. By December of Freshman year of college, I weighed 90 pounds and fit into size 12 kids jeans. I started taking laxatives to purge – some nights 30-40 at a time.”
‘Our struggles are NOT isolated. You DESERVE to be supported.’: Yogi gives coping tips for mental health awareness month
“DON’T shy away from being held up by others. It’s a DAILY battle.”
‘This is what you DESERVE.’ Even my previous therapists made snide comments.’: Woman in recovery for eating disorder says ‘recovery is BEAUTIFUL’
“’You don’t deserve this pain. Not only that, you don’t deserve anything which has been done to you to cause this pain.’ I believed her.”
‘I cried and begged God, ‘Take this away from me, or take my life. I don’t want it.’ I knew my mom would never accept me.’: Queer woman urges ‘sexuality and religion can coincide’
“I was a caged bird in my small town with my religious mother, and now I was free, discovering my full potential. I realized Christianity and sexuality do not need to fight each other. They can live peacefully.”
