Written by Alycia Dort
It’s no secret that I compare living
with a mental illness to someone having turned off your “light”. Sometimes
living without your light means losing touch with yourself; who you were, what
you loved, and all of the things that made you, You.
Only recently have I been able to find
pertinent pieces of myself, and although I am not yet ready to share my story,
I am ready to re-introduce myself to the world, and to my family, whom I have
missed for many, many years.
And so without further ado…
My name is Alycia, and I am a 23 year
old living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and
Borderline Personality Disorder. I am also a recovering addict, and have been
sober since early 2015. Of course these are labels, but they define a large
part of my life in which I’ve felt lost, abandoned, and worthless. Very
recently, I have had the opportunity to partner with many beautiful souls to
use these labels that have defined my life for many years, to make a difference
in the lives of others living with a mental illness.
Together, we made my once-blog, Who
Turned Off My Light, into a Not-for-profit Mission called Find Your Light
Mental Health Support.
Each and every day, we work to make a
difference- To touch the lives of many, and to do our best to show them
unconditional love and acceptance. The team of individuals I work with on a
daily basis, like myself, truly understand what it’s like to live with a mental
illness- both the good and the bad. We work as a team… We work as a family… We
work as a community.
These people are my friends, my
supporters, and they have touched my life in ways they will never truly know.
We all know that an awful lot can change in six months. Six months ago, I was
sitting in the hospital next to a policeman keeping watch on me, trying to find
an excuse as per why I needed a deadly chemical in my apartment. I was angry at
my Best Friend for calling the police, and for taking my Choice away from me. I
was in immense amounts of pain, and the only way I knew how to be rid of the
pain was to drink myself into an oblivion. It’s the same place I’ve been in
time and time and time again.
And yet, by some miracle, I am still
here.
We are Warriors, but we are also just
like you: Some of us are still in recovery. We understand that recovery can be
a long process, and that it’s not a straight journey. There are bumps, there
are wrong turns, and sometimes we have to take several steps back to re-direct
ourselves to the path to recovery. But we are a team, and we share our journeys
with each other.
Together, we share our journeys with
you: And our hope is that you will grant us the opportunity to share in your
path to recovery as well.
You can meet the team by clicking here :-).
Have courage & Be kind
And love always,
Alycia
