Last night I attended a NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group meeting, after not having been in person for a couple months. I was greeted cordially with hugs and smiles by familiar faces. At the meeting I shared about how exercise and nutrition has been consistently improved over time as I continue to lose weight due to the RNY procedure August 2024. I attribute many improvements to healing my sense of self and a healthier relationship with food in general. I shared my history of having an eating disorder, and how I have been living well and not purged for several years. The body dysmorphia has also shifted into a new appreciation for my body, accepting the imperfections and being kinder to myself. I thought to myself silently, how much this meeting and sharing my successes has had such profound impact. I thought, maybe you aren’t giving yourself enough recognition, Sarah Ellen. I try to remember despite my mental health challenges, living with Bipolar 1 disorder and other diagnoses, that I am first and foremost, a person. A mother, a spouse, sister, aunt, friend, advocate, writer, wannabe singer and amateur writer, green thumb gardener, lax coach, exercise enthusiast, former and slow but steady runner, and most importantly, all of these things first, I am not my illnesses.

This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. I am more cognizant at this time of the year of where I am and how far I have come. I will post more about that later. But for now, I am all about spreading awareness, not living silently with a mental health condition. You never know the impact you can have on another person. You never know what your inspiration or how your story might influence someone else for the better. Keep sharing your life, I try to remember that, keep sharing the difficult times, the positive moments, the small steps. You never know whose life you might save. Never underestimate the power of your voice.

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