Over the years I have struggled with anxiety and depression, an eating disorder, maladaptive daydreaming, and self harm. For a long time I thought I’d never be “normal” or happy. I thought that I was incapable of having healthy relationships and/or a successful, satisfying life. But through hard work, vicious ups and down, persistent hope, lots of support, and plain-and-simple stubbornness I have healed many of my old wounds and learned to live to the best of my ability with

Fear is easy. It is easy to let worry consume us. To let fear tear us down. To let hopelessness dissolve our energy. It is hard to be brave, to be optimistic, to be bold in both speech and action. So if today is a day that fear wins, that you curl up beneath your blankets, turn off the news and close the blinds, I understand. I understand that you cannot be strong every day. You can’t win every battle... and sometimes you simply don’t have the wherewithal to even start some b