Mandy! Wow, thank you for taking the time to respond and comment! It really means a lot me to know that people are reading and benefiting from me sharing my thoughts and stories. If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far from being more open about my own struggles is that you’ll always be surprised by who relates to what you’ve gone through. We never know what’s really going on in other people’s lives… we only know what they let us see! And what you said about social media is SOOOO true. I have to step back from Facebook constantly because I get caught up in the comparison game. And what’s interesting to me is that when I start to put my daily struggles out there I sometimes get feedback from people telling me I need to stop being negative and only put positive things out there about myself and my life. And I’m like “but that’s not real!” It is some of the time, sure. But if I only post the good, the “juried, currated, and edited highlight reel” of my life then I’m not really helping to create a society where people can feel safe to be their true selves! I want to be part of a society where we can be raw and authentic 100% of the time. I hope you do take strength and courage from knowing there others out there who used to hide, and still more others out there who are still hiding, the ugly parts of their stories as well. You’re not alone. You can’t force yourself to be ready to share. You’ll know when it’s time. It was finally time for me, but don’t rush it! You’ll know.
