I want to talk about Heaven Tyndall for a minute.
This boss lady, queen, small business owner, teacher, stubborn, selfless, and courageous woman of God is on the same journey to true self – love as I was and still am. Her photos show a happy and carefree version of Heaven. No one should simply let a picture tell you someone else’s story. Not everyone is doing well and just judging by a picture is never a good thing.
WITH THAT BEING SAID - Heaven has come a long way. She, like myself, made the choice to work towards overcoming her burdens. We laughed, we cried from laughing, we skipped, and we danced. We did truly have a fun time and even though it was only for an hour and some change, she was happy. As was I.
Now let’s talk about Mental Health.
The journey a person takes to find oneself begins with making the choice to search. Mental health has such a damaging stigma and it’s shaped how open and willing the world is to discuss the true and silent challenges people endure. That’s why it took me close to 15 years to divulge to someone and expel the burden I wore on my shoulders about the pain and fear I felt all the time. I had convinced myself that I was feeling this way because I somehow deserved it. The years and years of being told I wasn’t doing enough or well enough, fueling the fire.
My journey to self-love started when I decided to seek help for my crippling and debilitating anxiety while in college. This might surprise you, but it’s not normal to always feel anxious!! It’s a normal feeling, yes. Feeling it constantly, however, is not normal! Neither is the feeling of utter sadness or the lack thereof all together.
Once I started the journey, I tried it all. I did therapy, I took the medication, I journaled, you name it and I tried it. I watched my diet and exercised (as much as I could with what I had on my plate at the time), but nothing really fixed the problem. In retrospect, this was because I had no one to talk to. No one to hear me vent about how hard it was forcing myself to recover from feeling like I didn’t belong.
Fast forward to the here and now. I woke up one morning, in a bed with a person I didn’t love, in an apartment that never felt like home, in a body I didn’t recognize and looked at myself in the mirror. Two things happened at the same time. I saw what I had let myself become, a sad and complacent woman. I then realized that I was at cross-roads. I instinctively asked myself “why am I doing this to myself?”
“No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent” — Eleanor Roosevelt
No one forced me in that bed, no one forced me to live there, no one forced me to not take care of myself. I forced myself because I was trapped behind a window seeing what my life could be and I forgot that I was holding a hammer. I had all of the power and I let myself forget that.
Another thing that you should avoid doing at this point in your life is continuing to let those who harm you spiritually or physically remain in a position of power over you whether it be something that they took or something you gave. No one, and I repeat no one, can tell you that you are less than or not what you deserve to be.
As for photos, limit yourself to 10-15 per post. If you want to share more, link readers to a gallery to see all the awesomeness.
Remember that it is okay to not be okay and to ask for help from those closest to you. Your opinion is valid and what you have to say is valid. No box is big enough to cage all of your greatness, don’t put yourself into one!
If you or anyone you know if struggling and may be thinking about harming themselves and you’re concern, the number for the suicide prevention hotline is below. YOU ARE NOT ALONE
800-273-8255
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