Global Mental Health Day

This is not the end of me, this is the beginning.

Christina Perri, I Believe

I had to write something for this day.

I am here to say that I stayed....

I got this tattoo in reminder of that.

People make jokes about mental health far too often in my mind. It is quite an epidemic in our modern day society. Why are we so depressed? Why are we a generation of anxiety riddled human beings? Why do we shame those for having mental illness.

I was hospitalized twice for bipolar disorder and suicidal idealization.

I saved myself, with the help of my counsellor. She is the most beautiful person that I have ever met. And she saved my life.

A little about World Mental Health Day...

• Nearly one in every seven young people globally experience a mental health condition.
• Every year, we lose about 1 adolescent life every 11 minutes to suicide.
• Among adolescents aged 10-19, anxiety and depression alone make up about 40 percent of all mental health disorders.

Being in a mental hospital is a horrifying experience. The first time I went in the back of a cop car, the second time in an ambulance.

It changed who I was as a person, and I know I have grown as a person since my stay in the hospital.

The stigma surrounding an experience like that, makes you want to curl up in a ball and never leave the house.

The friends you make, the stories you learn, are truly inspiring to me.

It's never too late to reach out for help. It is okay not to stay silent.

Call: 9-8-8 (toll-free, 24/7)

Text: 9-8-8 (toll-free, 24/7)

for Canadians

You are not your mental illness.

You are not your trauma.

You are stronger and braver than you know.

I became brave.

I found a clothing line that suits me and I wear my mental health clothing with pride.

I am outspoken about mental illness because it has affected me most of my life.

I tell myself that my anxiety is a superpower.

“Wherever you are, at any moment, try and find something beautiful. A face, a line out of a poem, the clouds out of a window, some graffiti, a wind farm. Beauty cleans the mind.”

There are so many beautiful reasons to stay in love with being alive.

I am inspired by Matt Haig and his mental health journey.

I found reasons to stay and the rest came easier.

I took my pills willingly.

I found people that truly get me and who I am.

I met some beautiful friends.

I had a third child and battled post-partum depression with ease.

I saved myself.

Life is too short. It truly is.

I hope this post resonates with someone that needed to see this today.

Don't forget, you are not alone in the world and if you are struggling with mental health there is always someone out there that would rather listen to you than hear about your death.

I am one of those people.

You are never alone, even if you think you are.

I hope my stories inspire someone out there.

Chloe Rose Violet🌹

RESOURCES (CANADA)

• Contact your local health and addictions intake to access services near you
• 9-8-8: National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Hotline - Dial or text 9-8-8; 24/7 voice or text support for mental health crisis and suicide prevention. Visit 988.ca for more information.
• Call HealthLine at 811.
• Call 911 if someone is at risk of harming themselves or others.
• Call emergency crisis hotlines or general counselling.
• Contact Hope for Wellness, a national 24/7 resource for all Indigenous people across Canada.
• Call Kids Help Phone - Offers professional counselling, information and referrals. Phone 1-800-668-6868, text 686868 or chat online. It's confidential, free and available 24/7.