Saphire Walker shares her ‘Monthly Inspiration’ article

Let’s talk about it

 

Written and submitted by Saphire Walker

October 10th is Mental Health Awareness Day so I thought what better way to start off my column with a little insight of what I’ve personally gone through and why I’m so passionate about this topic. 

You may know I am a motivational speaker. For eight years, I have dedicated my life to speaking and singing at schools and mental health conferences about bullying, mental health, suicide prevention and breaking the stigma about mental health. It has been a topic I have been passionate about for many years and strive to speak out about it and educate people about it. My mom has also dedicated her life to this topic and has been a mental health professional for many years and now owns her own practice. She is the most knowledgeable person on this topic I have ever met. I grew up having a different understanding of mental health and have been around some of the most intelligent people in this industry since I was seven. So believe me when I say what I’m about to say next. 

Many of us believe we need to hide our mental health. We need to keep it a secret, slide it under the rug. We believe that if we are depressed, anxious, or low that we are crazy and we must not open up about how we feel in fear that others will think we are weird or can’t handle normal, daily routines. Let me give this to you straight. Just because you went through a low, just because you were depressed or felt like not being here on this earth does not automatically mean you are not capable of being a normal human being and doing normal day to day things. Being depressed, anxious or feeling low, does not make you crazy, weird or incapable of doing anything. Because if you’d like to know the real truth, over half the world’s population has been there at least once in their lifetime. 

Did you know that over 350 million adults have depression sometime in their lifetime? Did you know two thirds of children have mental health challenges? Let’s stop and think about that for a moment. If more than half the world is going through this, why are we not talking about it? Why do we awkwardly coward at the fact of asking our friend if they are ok? Why do we judge people and be cruel to people thinking they’re crazy or not capable of doing something if they are in a low moment in their lives? 

Depression is something I have struggled with since 7th grade. And like most people I get through it, I pick myself up again and each time I become even stronger than the last. Some days are better than others. I know this because I’ve been through it several times. We all may need reassurance from a friend or a family member to remind us we are strong enough to handle this. That we can make it through. Sometimes we need to fall to our knees in prayer and cry out to God and most days we find the strength in ourselves to run through the fire full force and push through it. Mental health challenges do not make us weak. They do not make us less capable. They do not make us less worthy. They do not make us crazy. They do not make us weird. They make us HUMAN BEINGS. 

I share my story to inspire others out there, to speak up about it, hoping one day we can all be courageous enough to share our own stories to help others; even our deepest ones. To share our truths; even the ugliest ones. I want each and every one of you to know you are not alone and we are all in this together and we should be there for each other. To the people that have reached out and to the ones that haven’t; talk about it. Open up and express your truth. Let’s end the stigma. You have so many people ready to listen to you, and others hoping to find strength from your story. You are not alone on this so called “journey of life.” The beauty of sharing your story, is that today can be a new beginning and you can become the person you never thought you could be. 

Make THIS year, the year you say yes to YOURSELF. The year that you own yourself and never allow anyone else to try and write your story for you. The year you believe in yourself. The year YOU rise up from the ground, stronger than you’ve ever rose before. The year you feel confident in your own skin, your body, your goals, your dreams, YOUR LIFE. 

You see, depression and lows, they come in all different times of life, all different ages. You can go forever feeling like you love your life and everything is great and the next year it’s not so great. And that’s just life. It doesn’t mean that you’re worthless or that you are any less than the person you once were or the person you want to become. 

Each year, I learn more about myself and who I want to be. I’ve learned that it’s ok, to not be ok. You shouldn’t be ashamed to feel low some days. I’ve learned you can’t place a piece of yourself all over because you’ll end up losing yourself. I’ve learned a good friend is someone who understands when you’re feeling low and takes the time to talk with you about it no matter how awkward it might seem. I’ve learned that giving up is not an option. I’ve learned to open my heart and to accept that I can’t do it all. I’ve learned that my life is on a different timeline than others. I’ve learned that I should be proud of the things I’ve accomplished by 22. I’ve learned to never allow anyone to tell you who to be. And living life is a journey worth sticking around for. – Saphire

Saphire Walker lives in Thief River Falls, MN. She is an inspirational writer and motivational speaker. She will be sharing her Monthly Inspiration columns in the Grygla Eagle Newspaper the first Wednesday of each month.