world mental health day 2022

It’s World Mental Health Day 2022.

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These are all photos of me from the last year. Such a smiley person. Such joie de vivre.

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What if I told you that I’ve had some really difficult times with my mental health?

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Those smiles aren’t put on. I’m a shiny person. I’m life-embracing.

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But I struggle. And it’s been this way for over forty years.

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In some ways, this last year has been the most challenging. But also the most transformative. When I started writing poetry again in the heart of the pandemic, I felt an unearthing in myself. I’ve found my way to a path that’s encouraging me to push through my walls; to shift the rubble and old debris.

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I’m learning how little conventional healthcare has served me. It's about self-managing and functioning, not flowing and thriving.

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Stuff keeps coming up that’s making me confront old patterns, old ways. It feels overwhelming at times but I don’t want to bury myself back down.

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I’m pushing through with a roar.

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