I’m about to be brutally honest with you. I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression on and off over the last 15+ years. At times, it was so crippling that every aspect of my life suffered. During that time, simply getting out of bed was a real challenge as I struggled with my demons. I’ve had dark moments where I considered harming myself. I’m very fortunate to have a kickass support system of friends and family, they’ve helped me in ways they will probably never know.
I want to make something very clear. I don’t care who you are, or what your background is. Suffering is an inevitable part of our human existence. We will all experience some form of pain in our lives. We all have moments where we’re completely overwhelmed and have no idea what the hell to do next. That’s okay. I’ve had many moments in my life where I had to take 10 deep breaths, step away from the situation and process the issues at-hand.
Scroll any social media feed and what do you see? A perfectly curated highlight reel of awesome experiences, sexy photos and the “perfect life.” Everything is awesome, life is always amazing and there are no problems, right?! While entertaining, that’s not real life. We need to work together and normalize mental illness. Your value as a human being has nothing to do with your mental health, diagnosis or medication prescription. It’s okay to not be okay. Besides, us crazies always have the best stories and are the fun ones at parties!
Train your body. Feed your mind.
-Demarco
