Confessions

A couple of years ago, I got tired of my own voice.

For some in my life, it was probably a few years too late!

Jokes aside, I genuinely got tired of being the only voice I was broadcasting on this part of the internet. It seemed odd to me that a site dedicated to bringing awareness of Mental Health was so limited in its “voice”.

I set out to create something that allowed other people a chance to share their stories. To give people a platform, a chance to be seen. So often those with Mental Health disorders go unseen, undiagnosed, and uncared for. It shouldn’t be this way!

As a result, “Finding Who We Are” was born. It’s everything I’ve mentioned above, and we’re approaching 30 different stories!

Each entry is unique, but they all share one thing in common: we’re still finding our way. Each guest author has a blank canvas upon which they can paint their story for us to read. There are no rules as to what they can or can’t talk about. No pain, loss, or question is off the table. No one has arrived, but we all want to offer the same thing: hope to make it another day.

I’m excited to tell you that our next entry is coming this Friday, April 10th. As a sneak peek, it’s titled “Am I Who They Predicted Me To Be?”. Here’s a snippet from her article.

“Oh, you are a pastor’s kid?! You are going to become a drug addict.” I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was around 13 years old. Spending nights begging God to remove me from this earth. I needed help, and so I walked into my doctor’s office with little confidence in what was to come. My doctor looked at me and simply stated, “You have what we call major depression.” Well, we all know what she did from there. Medication.”

She wrestles with finding her identity, antidepressant dependency, and ultimately looking for the strength to carry on. Marisa’s story is full of hard questions, and I know it will be encouraging to read! Check back that day for the rest of her story.

I am always looking for stories to share! You will find that a lot of these stories come from religious backgrounds, but that doesn’t mean you have to. You also shouldn’t feel like you have to have everything together in order to be qualified to write. We’re all in the process of finding who we are, and we need each other! So, don’t be shy. Reach out to me via comments below, or you can email me at Matthew.bmalin@gmail.com. Put “Finding Who We Are” in the subject line, and send me a brief intro of yourself. I’ll respond, and we’ll start the journey together!

In the meantime, you can access the entire archive of FWWA by living the button below. Catch up before the newest installment this Friday. Please consider writing. The world needs your story!

You are loved.

You are valued.