Some of you may have me as a friend on Facebook - some of you may know me in real life. If you've been reading this blog for a while, I've talked about mental health before, so none of this will be new to 99% of people reading it. Anyway, this week, I've been criticised for showing my blog entries from three years ago on Facebook. So I'm just going to answer this criticism.
Three years ago, I was a mess. I was having trouble getting used to medication, I was having trouble with the GPs, psychiatrists and other health professionals I was seeing. I wrote a journal on Live Journal (LJ) every day to keep track of where I was and how I was feeling.
The other day, I was looking for the entry about how I was given the name 'Life's Big Canvas' by Bel, a friend of mine. I read the other entries around it, and it struck me how far I'd come in three years.
So why did I decide to share bits of my LJ stuff on Facebook?
1. To show people who didn't know me then what I was like
2. As a 'feel good' thing to show how far you can come
3. Because I'm proud of myself, I won't lie
4. To show that you can overcome mental health issues if you find what you need
5. Because this is part of who I am, and I'm not ashamed
I hope me sharing this doesn't alienate anyone. I'm not saying you have to have the same problems to like what I do, even if it is part of what I do. Without painting, I wouldn't have coped. Without painting, I wouldn't be self-employed and running a shop.
I don't want my business to be defined by mental health - but I don't want to deny it either. I have clinical depression, bipolar tendencies, cyclothymia or OCD, depending on which mental health professional you listen to. As my friend Alice says, I am also 'a face'.
*edit to add*
This comment on Facebook made all this worthwhile anyway
"Why would anyone criticise you for posting these entries! I think it is absolutely inspirational how far you have come, and you *should* be proud of yourself. Also you are giving a real hope to all who have mental health issues - which let's face it, is a lot of us."
Edwin's first wave of rings. This wave were all made before he discovered silver-plated wire, so all of them use colour coated copper wire, or simply silver coloured metal wire. As such, I cannot guarantee the longevity of them. They are costume jewellery, and as such are priced lower than those using silver-plated wire.
