Telling my story

It seems to get easier and easier each day to tell my story. I think a big part of it is that I no longer am ashamed of having post traumatic stress disorder. I was so ashamed of having the diagnosis for so long. Now I have come to understand that people react differently to different things. period. I just reacted differently, that's it. I react differently in each death that comes about than other people would... AND THAT'S OKAY! (Something I had a hard time understanding.) It sounds so silly, I've always known that it's okay to react differently than other people, but when it happens to you, it's different.

By telling my story to someone I knew yesterday, I found out they have the same diagnosis. I spoke out and now I have someone who understands it. They get it! I couldn't have asked for more!

I feel like my path is being guided towards speaking out more about my struggle with PTSD. Yes, I know I am only a year in, but I still have plenty to say about it. I would love to spend day in and day out just talking to people about PTSD and understanding more about mental illness in general. I would love to help stomp out the stigma surrounding mental illness. If I can figure out how to make a career out of sharing my story, I'm set for life.

I hope that by telling people my story, I can help stomp out the stigma of mental illness, heal myself, help others, and encourage people to speak out about their struggles with mental illness.