Share Your Struggle

Women are two times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder than men, and yet only 3% of mental health studies are done on women. Our hormones and physiology make us very different than men, and we require more research and understanding to support our mental health. According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability in women, and 1 in 3 women will experience a mental health challenge in their lifetime.

Women have been conditioned to hide their discomfort. I believe it’s time we openly share our struggles and become Courageous Leaders in Vulnerability, showing the world that it’s okay to struggle and seek the support and tools we need to ride the waves of life rather than feel alone, drowning in them.

I wrote the book ‘Return To You’ to help normalize the mental health stigmas women face today. In this book, I share my own personal struggles with mental health and the tools that have helped me overcome and navigate them.

To help me launch this book, I identified four Courageous Leaders in Vulnerability (Coach Carey, Nicole Karikic, Brittany Gray and Carole Dagher) who are currently sharing their struggles openly and asked them to sit on a panel with me. We all have a story that includes both strength and struggle. None of us are immune to struggle, yet many of us only share our strength with the world. While our strengths are important, it’s our struggles that unite us and create meaningful connections and communities that support our well-being.

After a powerful introduction in which the panellists shared their struggles openly with the audience, they shared tools that helped them overcome adversity and mental health obstacles. We discussed the tools we regularly use to nurture our mental health, and we made an effort to normalize these efforts just like the world has normalized exercising and eating well in an effort to nurture physical health. Our mental health is our wealth, and it’s important we talk about it and create a toolbox of resources that help us feel good in our bodies.

I also shared my struggles at the event, which includes anxiety, bouts of mild depression, and a nervous breakdown when I was 18 years old. My nervous breakdown was the catalyst that enabled me to focus on tools that would help me improve my mental health, launch SAOR studio and write this book. The nervous breakdown was triggered when I went on birth control for the first time and unknowingly created a hormonal hurricane that wreaked havoc in my mind and left me feeling paralyzed and trapped in a pit of darkness.  

I only recently learned at a CAMH seminar on mental health that Birth Control is the number one prescription in the world, and yet only 0.15% of studies have focused on the mental health effects on women when they take it. Girls and women around the world are taking a hormonal chemical cocktail that may be causing symptoms similar to post-partum depression without fully understanding its effects on our mental health yet. This is why it’s so important we share our stories, both the struggle and the strength, with others. Not because there is something wrong with us but because we can learn and grow stronger together.

I want to thank everyone who attended my ‘Return To You’ book launch event for their willingness to discuss our mental health and ignite a conversation about our struggles. Only within our willingness to open up all parts of ourselves can we create the meaningful connections that support and provide us with the tools needed to thrive despite any obstacle.  

Each panellist has something extraordinary in common; an ability to share their struggles, ask for help, and nurture tools which help them grow stronger and navigate the next obstacle with more resilience and strength. Life is not happening to us; it’s happening for us, and you do not have to navigate any of it alone.

All of the proceeds from our ‘Return To You’ book launch went towards our goal of raising $10,000 for a local women's shelter in November and December this year.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call *211 or visit the CAMH resource page for assistance.

To purchase a copy of ‘Return To You’, visit SAOR studio or click here to buy on Amazon. Thank you for your continued love and support of my efforts to eliminate the stigma of mental health obstacles and help women rise once more.

All photography from the event was lovingly and generously donated by Selina Whittaker. Book her today for your photography needs.