A Success Story in Honor of World Mental Health Day

In honor of today being World Mental Health day, I would like to honor my own plurality. It has taken me some time to acknowledge this, but I am not defined by any single aspect of my life. I am versatile, well-rounded and unique.

The first time I talked about my mental health online was on the last day of mental health awareness month.

"Making this post is an idea I've struggled with all month. I've gone back and forth between writing something like this, reposting a graphic, or saying nothing at all. Then I realized the reason I was struggling so much with this: stigma. So I decided that not only did I want to write this, but I actually think I needed to.

The only way to beat stigma is to talk about it, so this is me saying for the world to hear that I have depression and anxiety. While they do not define me, I struggle with them every day. Some days I do a better job of beating them than others. For a long time, I knew I was struggling, and that something was wrong. But I was scared. I was scared to ask for help, scared I wouldn't be taken seriously, scared I would be judged. All of that fear led to me shoving my problems deep inside of me until they exploded out in March and I ended up hospitalized.

That was another detail I was hesitant to share so publicly, but it would be dishonest to leave out. For years, I didn't ask for help, and I didn't ask for help until things not only reached a boiling point but actually bubbled over. And at the end of the day, that's why I'm making this post. If you have reached your boiling point, or are close to it, please do not be afraid to ask for help. I cannot and will not promise that everything will magically get better, but I will promise that it is not hopeless.

I have been extremely lucky. My family, and my parents especially, have been nothing but loving and supportive. They have gone above and beyond to help me, and for that, I will forever be grateful. I'm also grateful for my new puppy, Zoë. I got her about a month ago, and named her Ζωή Χαρά, meaning "life joy" as a daily reminder to myself that those are two of the most important things, to have life and find joy in it. And for me, I need some extra help in order to do those things, and that's okay.

Happy mental health awareness month. "

I still very much stand by everything I wrote that day, which is why I am sharing it again in its entirety. It was around that time that I first began thinking of starting a blog. It took me four months to follow through on that, but that initial post on my social media was a huge step forward.

Until then, I had treated my mental illness like a dark secret, only to be shared with my close friends and family. I felt so much shame, but when I posted that, I felt as if I had been freed. Of course, I still struggle with shame now and then, as that is the nature of my illnesses. However, it was out in the open. Posting that gave almost everyone in my life a glimpse into my experience.

In response, they did not judge me or lose faith in me, as I feared. Instead, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I received comments and private messages that I still go back and re-read when I'm having a bad day.

When I started this blog, my goal was to only talk about mental health. The entire purpose was to make an effort to diminish the stigma around mental illness, which is a goal I still hope to pursue. However, I've had another realization: I am more than my mental illness.

I can write about my depression, anxiety, and ADHD, and that's liberating in that I reject my shame. But I can also write fiction, reviews, humor, and anything else. This realization has freed me once again.

Recently, I wrote an article introducing myself. In it, I state that the most important thing to know about my blog is that I suffer from mental illness. While I still stand by the majority of that piece (which you can read here), I must denounce that line. This blog is not defined by my mental illness; I, the writer, define it.

Hi, my name is Anna. Lovely to meet you all.

My mental illness is a part of my story, but it is not the whole story. So, while I may have initially thought I needed to write about my illness and struggles for World Mental Health Day, I shall take the day to celebrate my successes instead.

The most important success, and something for which I am trying to show gratitude every day, is that I am alive. I am not saying that because I am sick or injured or because my being alive is a surprise. I say it because any day survived cannot be entirely bad.

This past May, I graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in philosophy and a minor in modern Greek. I count that as a huge success, perhaps one of my biggest successes to date.

I work a job that I love, and most days, I'd say I'm quite good at it, so there's another success.

In regards to this blog, today, I succeeded in being accepted into the Medium Partner Program after only ten days of writing on here. It also is strange realizing it's only been ten days, as it feels like it has been longer. In those ten days, I have posted six stories, seven if you include this one.

While my mental health does not entirely define me, I would like to note a success related to it. I've been receiving treatment for my mental illnesses for the past seventh months, and while I may not always see it, I have made loads of progress.

So, this World Mental Health Day, I'd like to encourage everyone to take some time to celebrate their successes, no matter how big or small.