30 seconds or less, my story.

I have been asked to tell my story, of breaking the stigma of mental illness in 30 seconds.

There is an upcoming Jacksonville Iceman special event on mental health awareness upcoming. I was asked to tell my story, in 30 seconds or less. My face will be on a Jumbotron. They will shoot the stories next week. In the meantime….Am I nervous? Alittle. Does it ignite something within? Yes. Will I let it effect me? Hell no. This is somewhat familiar territory as I regularly share my story for presentations. The format though a little more relaxed, I usually have much more time to create the narrative. I have never tried to do it in 30 seconds. So here I go. Here is my first attempt…

I’m Sarah, I am a military spouse, mother of 2, and I am living well in with Bi-Polar I disorder. As a young adult, I experienced so much stigma after I was diagnosed. I denied it, and my world was rocked to over the next year. I rotated in and out of jails and hospitals, living off unemployment checks, and sleeping in my vehicle. At 23, I reached rock bottom. I asked for help from family, got better with time. Then, I found a support group with NAMI, I finally felt hope. I met my now husband and moved all over the country, we raised a family. I grew with the organization and stayed well over the years. I am now 38 years old and am a Program Director of NAMI Jax, planning on beginning my masters in Social work in 2023.

There it is. About 40 seconds maybe. Could use a little more tailoring. The amazing thing, is that this is the past 20 years of adult hood in (about) 30 seconds. How do I fit so much pain, so much trauma, and so many experiences into that? The short answer is, it doesn’t hit me as much as it used to. I am used to telling my story. Does it still effect me? Yes, of course. Still, I wonder, how do I tell my story in 30 seconds? Do I get my message across? Do I make an impact? To be determined…Does that matter? Not so much to me anyway. What matters, is that I can talk about it, I can advocate for myself and others, I can make a difference on a small scale. I can tell my story, without the same emotions attached. I can and I will speak out against stigma until I am blue in the face. People with mental health issues should not be considered crazy, violent, disabled, incapable of great things. Mental health conditions are as normal as any other physical condition or ailment. We have a voice, I am a testament of that, of what can be accomplished. I am proud that I can now attest to that. Maybe I didn’t believe it before. Maybe. Just maybe, we can change the conversation and build a new discussion of what mental illness looks like. Like anyone else, we are human beings. We are individuals. We can create, we can overcome. We are not weak. I hope that one day those cries for help from those suffering will be heard, nutured and supported like I was. Let’s keep the conversation going and raise each other up.