When In Doubt...Post It Anyways!

Taking chances and doing things when you're afraid is what life is all about.

I have had anxiety my whole life. I was an anxious kid, an anxious teenager, and I am an anxious adult. Today I am even feeling anxious while I am literally writing this. One thing I have never been afraid of is talking about my mental health because it's not something to be scared of or ashamed of.

Many times I have been told in my life by people who have just met me or people on the outside of my life that "you would never know you had any type of anxiety". All that told me was that I was really good at physically hiding my internal screaming thoughts.

I don't know why but as a child I had no problem being in a school play, performing in dance recitals like it was my job, and volunteering to do the announcements in school on the PA system. The things that should cause kids to be anxious made me excited...entertaining and performing were my life. Later on in life we learned why kids with ADHD and anxiety behaved in such ways..thats for another blog.

Several traumatic experiences later I am now a grown up. As an adult I have given speeches to medical professionals about the importance of mental health awareness, was invited to speak as a guest speaker at a convention centre, and have been an advocate about sharing the struggles that come with being stuck in your thoughts.

None of those things should scare me...but funny enough if you had to drive in the car with me to get there, take an elevator of any kind, or make small decisions like which item to post for sale, you would probably think you were dealing with somebody who eats plastic checkers for a snack.

Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes but one thing I know for sure is that talking about mental health issues with people that don't suffer from them can really teach you how unaware or misinformed some people are. Some of the most judgmental opinions have come from people I would have thought would be the most supportive. 

It takes a kind heart and an open mind to be able to have a conversation about something you don't understand. Mental illness can be really hard to understand especially if the person that has it seems perfectly fine on the outside.

Mental health is a journey and if you are struggling with your thoughts or feelings at any time you should reach out to somebody you trust to talk about this. I am a huge advocate for asking for help, getting therapy, and telling people how you feel. Now, telling people how you feel doesn't mean they are going to be receptive to what you have to say...so be mindful of who you trust this precious information with because the last thing you need when you're feeling vulnerable is to be shamed. 

My best advice to anybody who has somebody in their life that is anxious or suffers from anxiety is to be kind. Offer a helping hand and to have an open ear if you want to be there for them. Nobody wants to feel anxious and most of the time anxiety can make you feel like a big giant burden. Trust me...they aren't doing it on purpose.

To all my fellow anxious friends...I hope you are having a better day than I am and I hope you are doing something you enjoy. 

Until next time..talk to you soon.

Love Naty

P.S here are some items that I am going to post anyways...I couldn't decide which one I wanted to share so I am going to share them all!

https://lovenaty.com/collections/mental-health