I’m a firm believer in getting out of your cozy little comfort zone of limiting beliefs and insecurities. This is more often than not, easier said than done. My case is no different.
I recently enrolled in a speaker challenge through a
Facebook group geared toward public speakers, of which I’m trying to get back into now that both kids are in school.
Facebook group geared toward public speakers, of which I’m trying to get back into now that both kids are in school.
In this challenge, we’re supposed to select a few topics we are called to speak on then narrow it down to one, create an outline and GO Live….Facebook Live, that is. Monday night was go-time. I thought my topic would be building confidence and stepping into the greatness that’s already on the inside of you….something to that nature. BUT….at the last minute….I felt the leading to change my main topic. To the most difficult, painful, ultra private, hardly ever spoken about topic of…..mental health.
Yeah, I know, right! No one in their right mind (excuse the pun) wants to address this subject. In fact, a guy named Adam Ant said it so well “mental health needs a great deal of attention. It’s the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.” no joke it needs to be dealt with.
The question is how? And who will be so brave to tackle this with grace and freedom. Well, I stood up for the challenge. In no way did I approach it with grace ...and freedom came sporadically through the tears, nonetheless I stood up for something the other night. I did it! I made my first attempt at telling my story….LIVE….and it went….well…..hmmm….let’s just say I did it. And here ya have it….
I had no idea at the time but coming forward to share (only a portion of) my story would actually be part of my healing process. The healing process I thought I was finished with…so I could effectively help others through their process.
It's time we talk about the big grey elephant in the room. So here I am, not an expert, but a survivor, to talk about this uber sensitive, highly mysterious topic, little bits at a time.
It wasn’t until my late 30’s that I was diagnosed with bipolar depression disorder and PTSD. Up until that point I had no idea what my problem was I just knew it wasn’t normal and I was over the pain and drama of the thing! How I got to the place of needing medication is pretty ridiculous. Funny, depending on how you look at it….. and a bit traumatizing no matter how you cut it.
I was in a downward spiral when I finally found a psychiatrist who not only had the knowledge but also the give a darn if you know what I mean. Through a year-long process, we finally found the right medication and dosage to level me out. There is ONE thing I need to make very clear here. There is NO shame in coming forward to get help if you know something is not right. There are professionals in this field for a reason.
For now, this is quite enough. You can read more here. The bottom line to my message is this….you NEVER know what someone else is going through so let’s be ever so gentle with each other treating one another with LOVE and kindness no matter the situation or even our mood. I know, it’s hard. Especially when someone is downright rude or disrespectful. But I think we can do it. One conversation at a time. You never know how your kindness can affect someone’s day or even life. Love is always the answer.
Much LOVE and grace to you from me,
Blu Wyatt
There are some pretty astounding statistics on mental health out there.
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
1 in 5 adults will experience some form of mental illness in a given year!
1 in 25 live with serious mental illness
Serious mental illness causes $193 billion in lost wages each year
About 10 million adults live with co-occurring mental illness and addiction disorder
About 26% of homeless living in shelters live with serious mental illness
Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help. - See more at:
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