confession - I felt alone in my mental health, so I started this blog
“The experience I have had is that once you start talking about experiencing a mental health struggle, you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club.”
Hey friends - I’m really happy you’re here.
As stated in the confession above, I started this blog as a way to connect with others. Any kind of mental health can feel very isolating and in my experience, it helps to talk more about it. My hope with this blog is to discuss the real parts of mental health - the raw, emotional, and difficult aspects that we keep hidden behind our smiles.
Let me introduce myself - the anxious girl behind this confession
My name is Julya Jae and I have been on a mental health journey since I was about 14 or 15 years old when I was first diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I grew up in a very small town, so at that time, mental health was rarely talked about. I had no idea what was going on with me and it felt very isolating. Eventually through research, I found solace in stories that other people shared about their own mental health journeys. I started realizing I wasn’t alone and that the scary, odd, and uncomfortable feelings I had were also normal for others. These stories especially became important to me a few years down the road when I was about 22 and I was diagnosed with OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
I have tried many forms of treatment over the years, from therapy to managing coping skills at home. One form of coping I have found a lot of enlightenment in is journaling. Over the years, I realized I was an outward processor when it came to mental health and every day life. This means that I can’t figure things out inside my own mind. I have to get it out somehow, whether it is through talking or writing. You know those people who have multiple to do lists everywhere? That’s me. I found that writing out how I felt, whether it was emotions I was feeling, thoughts I was having, or really anything jumbling around my mind, I was able to understand it better and it helped alleviate some of my anxieties. Writing in my diary and creating poetry became my way of coping. Over time, I realized I wanted to stop hiding in my journal and start sharing my stories just like those brave people who helped me early on, so I decided to start this blog.
Besides being an aspiring blogger and writer, I wanted to share some quick facts about myself so we can get to know each other.
Midwestern girl at heart, currently embracing life on the East Coast
Military wife
Soon to be mama
Dog mom to two pups
Avid reader of romance and thriller novels
Wine enthusiast
Sweet tooth
I wanted to share these things, because sometimes our mental health can feel all encompassing and that it defines who we are. Writing down our unique traits can remind us that although we may have anxiety or OCD or are experiencing any other form of mental health, it is only one thing on a long list of wonderful attributes we all have.
Thank you for being here
Throughout this journey, I would love to connect with others - those who are experiencing mental health, those who have a loved one struggling, or those who just want to understand it more. This is a safe space for people to read and share their stories (when they are ready). Stay tuned, friends.
