Take a
book signing for example. I had one last
year and going into it, I was terrified.
I’ve never been good at public speaking to begin with. When you factor in my anxiety issues, I
wasn’t sure I would even get through it.
Thankfully, my husband was next to me the entire time. I think I pulled it off, but I’m not sure how
I would have done had there been more people in attendance.
We all
face issues with confidence. I’m not so
naïve that I don’t understand that. I
feel like authors or writers that are not dealing with mental illness may have
a leg up in some areas. In my situation,
I am at a stage where I am rarely leaving my house
or even my bedroom. I don’t think someone like James Patterson has to contend
with such obstacles.
In my book, I documented my enormous issues with body
image and self-esteem. I’ve always been negative about my appearance. Over the
years dealing with my depression, I’ve gained more weight than I ever would
have imagined. Dealing with bipolar disorder, weight gain, and the possibility
of appearing in photos or on television is incredibly daunting. I did one
television interview early on, and I can’t even look at the video at this
point. It sends me into a deep depression for days. Even now that I’m on the right path with my
health, and I’m down 27 pounds, I still beat myself up for appearing in front
of the camera the way I look.
For
those of us that happen to feel things much deeper than most people, negative
reviews are like a sharp knife to your heart. It’s been an arduous task trying
to convince myself that just because not everyone likes it, doesn’t mean I’m a
failure…or as one person called me, a selfish narcissist. I never in my wildest
dreams thought that putting my story out there in an effort to raise awareness
about suicide would be met with such comments. I’m simply trying to help
people!
Granted,
I’m no Mother Teresa, but I didn’t join this fight to make myself look good.
Quite the contrary. I wanted to use this
platform to tell a cautionary tale, so to speak. To let others know that I made
many mistakes along the way, but I am certainly much stronger for learning from
those mistakes. Most of all, people need
to understand that having a bad day doesn’t mean you have a bad life.
So, I’ll
take comfort in the fact that there are those that support me. The mental health community is amazing. I
love feeling a sense of camaraderie. As
if we’re all here, fighting the same battle and hopefully making a
difference. I’ve met some of the most
amazing people in the last year. As much
as I struggle with social anxiety and agoraphobia, it’s such a comfort to know
that despite those issues, I may still be able to affect change in the world
around me.
Of
course, there are days when it’s extremely difficult to keep focused on the
positive. It’s hard to keep focus at
all. That is one of the main reasons I’ve
been rather terrified to sign on to any particular website to write a monthly
column. When I’m depressed, all
concentration goes out the window. It
feels as if there’s a movie playing inside my brain on fast forward and I have
no idea where the remote is. When
writer’s block sets in, I can’t slow my brain down to come up with a sentence,
let alone an entire article. I’m
constantly afraid of letting people down or even letting myself down. The idea
of being a failure still rests comfortably on my shoulder. Ever present and always reminding me of the
mistakes I’ve made. I often make an
effort to reach out and help others with whatever they’re working on. At times,
it helps to put my situation into perspective.
The next thing I know, I’m writing again.
I never
know when an idea will hit me. Last
night, it was around 1:30 in the morning.
It’s both a curse and a blessing.
While I’m grateful for the opportunity to put pen to paper, I’m
sometimes a slave to my expanded consciousness.
I
realize that I have traditionally been way too hard on myself. I need to give myself credit once in a
while. If I see someone on TV that is an
extremely talented artist, musician, or even a writer, that little voice inside
my head is very vocal. I’m forever thinking, “I wish I was that good at anything!”
I’ve beat myself up for so many years, I’m not sure I would know how to be
kind.
I lack
confidence on so many levels. Poor
self-esteem is a symptom of depression, but when will I learn to cut myself
some slack? I wrote a book and I got it published, and it’s helping people! I
have an extremely successful blog and I feel as if I’ve earned the respect of
many others in the mental health community, at least on social media! So, when do I stop and give myself a little
pat on the back? I carry burdens that many people wouldn’t be able to shoulder
for very long. I fight a battle inside
my head (and my heart) from the minute I get up in the morning.
Perhaps
now is the time to remember that despite the challenges of being an author and
having bipolar disorder, it can be managed.
I just have to be willing to use a little common sense. I’ve gotten this far. I think I’ve probably thrown in the towel once
a week for nearly a year, and I’m still going.
I didn’t die when it was all I could think about 3 years ago. I’m a fighter. I may not always be able to keep that in mind
for myself, but I hope I can impart that wisdom onto others that are lacking in
the confidence department. Sometimes
it’s OK to just exist. If you’re facing
a challenge due to your mental illness, let it be your moment to shine! No matter how scary it is, you have to face
it head on. If you can’t be realistic
about your situation on Tuesday, give yourself some time. Maybe on Friday you can knock it out of the
park.
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