MISSION

To inspire and motivate the many whose lives have been touched by Mental Illness
while being a beacon of light towards ending the stigma.

About the Owner

Meet Me

Welcome to my website. I hope you enjoy your experience here and find hope through my experiences. My name is Jeannette and I am a Mental Health survivor. I was diagnosed with Depressive Psychosis 16 years ago. My first episode was life altering; it stripped me of everything that I once new and left me bare to put together the shattered pieces.

I became an unrecognizable version of myself to those that knew and loved me. The journey back to wellness was hard, but the person I am now would not change any of my experiences for the world. I am stronger and more confident in recovery now than I was pre-illness. I have learned that I am not my illness. Yes I have one, but it does not define who I am as a person and it will not stop me from becoming the amazing person that I know I am supposed to be.

My Diagnosis

Before my diagnosis I was an independent, confident, and outgoing, single mother of a small child. My transition from being the person that I always knew to someone that was filled with fear, hopelessness, extreme anxiety, isolation, and extreme sadness was traumatic and created a drastic shift in my worldview. These characteristics describe only part of my experiences after diagnosis and highlight a bi-product of my illness which is Depression.

Most people tend to view Depression as “the Blues”, but it is nothing like that. The Blues is sadness felt over a short period of time that we can surpass when we try. My experience was nothing like that and my diagnosis proved that severe Depression cannot be measured the same way as “the Blues”. My Depression has lasted 16 years and brought along with it extreme changes in weight, extreme changes in sleep patterns, poor concentration, deep rumination with extremely negative thoughts about myself.

To summarize, I felt like I was mentally drowning on a daily basis with no sign of breaking through the waters surface to catch my breath. It was as if I was submerged and treading water; each adversity pulled me farther under water where I witnessed the rest of my life with blurred vision and a muddled mind. I truly believed that the darkness that had swallowed me whole would never end and each life task I was faced with only compounded the situation.

My Recovery

I am happy to say that after many years of struggle my last episode was 5 years ago. I am prayfully in recovery. Finally aligning with the right doctors and therapists has helped me tremendously and I cannot stress how important it is to seek help when you need it. This does not mean that you are weak. It means that you are courageous and want the best for your life. Connecting with the right doctors and therapists taught me how to understand my illness and manage it in everyday life.

I understand what it means to feel alone in these experiences when the world around you doesn’t mirror what you actually belief or feel. I do not wish to discredit the hard life experiences we face when managing significant health issues. I want these experiences to bring us hope. You can heal from Depressive Psychosis and you can heal from any hardships you face.

Even though I have reached this point in my life now, it was not always the case. I’ve attended many group therapy sessions and sat there feeling that what was being discussed did not apply to me. Even so, there is something to be said for meeting people that are going through the same things as you. Being able to recognize that you are not alone immediately chips away at the feelings of hopelessness and isolation while the support you gain through treatment plays a very positive role in your recovery. My advice to you would be to be diligent in finding the right people to assist you in your treatment and be committed to the process. Recovery is not a cake walk - NO WAY! It is a daily and life long commitment and is possible when you keep walking forward one day at a time.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the loving support of my strong mother and family throughout my journey. They have been strong through the good and the bad times inspite of the fact that they did not understand what I was going through at the time or why. I will always remember and thank them for the love and care that I received from them. I could not have reached this point without them. I am happy to be here in recovery today where I can create new memories with them symptom free.

~ Jeannette