Hey guys, I know its been a while since I posted my last blog post and I’ve been pretty busy this past weekend, but I am so happy to be back on here and just post my thoughts.
So without further-ado, I’m gonna talk about Why I blog.
This idea came from watching Demi Lovato’s new Documentary called “Simply Complicated”. In it, Demi talks about her early childhood, how her singing and acting career took off, and more importantly how her mental illness all started as well as, where she is today. Demi talks candidly and unashamed about the events in her life, which was very eye opening to see in a girl who basically had to grow up in the spotlight. She opened up about how and when she started with drugs and alcohol, as well as her sobriety and how it really hasn’t been easy, but how it has been worth it. But the one thing I was able to resonate with the most and the one thing I am going to hone in on, was the fact that she deals with bipolar disorder, or manic depression, and how she was able to find her outlet in music.
From a young age, Demi was always involved in or with music, to her it was this thing that really kept her sane, it was her outlet and I find that to be absolutely amazing and impressive. The thing about bipolar disorder is that the people who suffer from it, they tend to have mania, or manic episodes where they will throw themselves into one thing and will spend countless hours doing the one thing they love or want to do. So for Demi, it was staying up all night making music. For people going through this it’s something that while it is a manic episode, sometimes they have no memory of said manic episode.
While watching this, I remembered a couple of times of when I struggled with my depression. When I had depression the first time around, I remember not wanting to do anything and not wanting to do anything that would eventually help me in the long run. I felt like I didn’t have any options and felt completely and utterly hopeless. In the midst of the cloud of depression I was under, I managed to find one outlet, and that outlet became writing. Much like Demi, if I really needed someplace to vent, I would go to my journal and just try to write anything.
But unlike Demi, I wouldn’t sing, I would just write until my hand got tired. To me, there were no rules that were associated with writing in my journal, it was something that I learned throughout my recovery process. Writing wasn’t just something that I picked up during a time of need, for me, it was always there. Ever since I was about eight years old, I remember just being so fascinated with writing that I would write about things that happened to me on a daily basis. Writing became more enforced when I was a high school sophomore and I had this awesome English teacher who made all of his classes have a marble composition notebook. In them we could write about anything, he would even have essay prompts up on the board. So when I was given that freedom, at 16, I knew I had to run with it. Writing’s been the most constant thing in my life, friends and boyfriends may have come and gone, but my writing has been something that has always stayed with me. I am so happy that I get to use it as a tool to not only reach out, but also as a cathartic way to let my emotions out.
Writing began to have a big impact in my life and it was this moment where I decided to turn my writing into blogging and blog about my thoughts on various things. When I first started out blogging, I was in my freshman year of college. I remember feeling the need to vent, to write out something, and I just went for it, I blogged about the first things I could think of, which was about how I dealt with depression, panic attacks and the importance of success (if you want to read the first posts I made on here, I will put the links at the bottom of this post!). I remember feeling really happy after telling my story and wanting to tell everyone I knew at the time, about this new thing I discovered, called blogging. To every person who passed my way, I would promote my site to them and tell them, “Hey! Read my blog!”, I think I still do that today, but mainly over the social media and I’ll ask a select few friends what their thoughts were while reading it.
One of my main goals, is to create a blog, have people read it and feel empowered by what I write. I find a clearer meaning in something that either bothers me or something that I really care about. I really hope that telling my story will help other people in similar situations too. I thank God everyday for giving me an amazing outlet and I hope that He helps you find your way through other creative outlets! Mine just happens to be writing, but for you it could be anything. An outlet is something that really takes your mind off of the stressors in your life and can be super cathartic, examples include, but are not limited to: art, photography, dancing, working out, writing, coding, sketching, editing photos, singing, writing your own songs, driving, making food, baking, going outside, and many more!
With writing, I am able to feel sane and comfortable in myself, knowing that I have a voice. When you find your voice through any outlet, the benefits can truly be life changing. Make the decision to find your voice through your own outlet and you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish in your life.
So my questions for all of you are:
What are your outlets? How did you discover them?
Heres the link to some of my first blog posts!
Panic Attacks: What’s the Big Deal?
Also here is the link to Demi’s documentary on youtube!
If you or someone you know is suffering a mental health illness or is struggling with drug/alcohol addiction, please reach out!
Suicide Hotline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or log on to your browser and contact a trusted mental health professional, you are not alone in this and if you really do need help, please do not hesitate to pick up the phone!
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA): https://www.samhsa.gov/
A Dynamic Mentality 