My 6 Stages of Being Diagnosed With Mental Illness
How I found my path to healing
I didn’t acknowledge my mental illness until I was in my 20’s. After all, I had a great life! Why would I be depressed? I didn’t understand that depression and anxiety were truly “first-world problems.”
But here’s my story of going from complete denial to acceptance and beginning a path of healing for my mental illnesses.
As a baby, I was adopted into a great family. That didn’t stop me from experiencing turmoil as a teenager when insecurities were high and self-esteem was low. As I struggled with friend groups, it was common for me to think back to not being wanted by my birth parents. I hit several low points that with 20/20 hindsight, I can tell were the start of my depressive episodes.
Fortunately, my faith in God always provided a hopeful light, even in the worst of cycles. Even more fortunately, even when I felt closed off from everyone else, I had my cats.
With God and cats, I made it through middle school and high school and was happy to graduate with the promise of never having to go back.
Though tell-tale signs of depression were there in following years as college began and I went on a 1.5-year mission trip for my church, my darkest days seemed over, until I was ending…
