#ConfidentlyEnough on World Mental Health Day

At age 6, I experienced two traumatic events in my life. My mom had been pronounced dead after a c-section for my youngest brother. Then shortly after, my dad had been in a devastating car accident that almost took his life. My anxiety took root during that year and began my battle with mental health. 

At age 12, I told my parents I didn’t want to live. I was bullied when we arrived in the US for not speaking English. It was not until age 20 that I learned I was suffering from PTSD secondary to my life experiences. Exposed to such stress from being a young adult, figuring out life and navigating relationships caused me to go on meds at an early age. This is something I closed myself off about for years, never feeling comfortable to share. 

After our first loss, I experienced some symptoms but not as much as I would after becoming a mother for the first time. I went through postpartum depression (PPD) within 2 weeks of having our first baby and again 7 months after my second child. I reverted back to those feelings of shame, closing myself off to what I was experiencing.

Last year, it all crumbled and I couldn’t handle any more stress. I made the step to seek help. I opened up to my husband about my feelings, emotions and suicidal thoughts. It felt raw, scary and vulnerable, but with his support and that of my family/friends, I overcame. I decided to speak up. I decided to acknowledge my feelings. I decided to learn to cope in a healthy manner. I learned how to feel present. I saw value in myself. I believed I was loved and learned to love myself again. I decided I was needed, not just by those around me, but I needed myself too. After seeing a post by Meg Boggs, I decided to come forward and finally open up to the world.  Not just hide behind encouraging others in my brand.

That’s how this #confidentlyenough campaign came about. I spoke to a group of ladies that make a difference in my life and this community. We came together and joined forces to bring awareness on #worldmentalhealthday

From every #Enough shirt purchased, we will be donating $1 dollar to the Blue Dot Project.  You click here to read more about this amazing project and how the stand for maternal mental health survivor-ship, support and solidarity. For direct donations, you can visit their site here.

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Mental Health is a priority. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and instead should be pursued daily. It’s also our responsibility to be purposeful about checking on those around us. Make mental health a daily task whether it’s working on yourself or actively being there for others...