Our Authentic Self

It's a sorry state of affairs when part of the population feels like they have to hide a part of themselves to be accepted by the other part of society. I've encountered this after my first hospitalization. I was so stigmatized and self-stigmatized that I hid my mental health experience so that I would fit in. I ignored the short period where I hadn't worked and covered it up with a Directorship of a company, which was difficult to substantiate by prospective employers. I did not associate with other people who had had a mental health experience because I didn't want to be branded with the same stigmas. I'd like to apologize for doing that. At the time, it was my self-stigmatization which made me think I had to fit in to get back to 'normal'. Now I have the wisdom of an extended length of time off work, and I want to say to be my authentic self, I do not want to fit into a society which stigmatizes me. This does not mean I renounce all worldly connections. I still have aspirations, I still want to achieve things, but I will do it as myself and no one else. I will talk about my mental health experiences and help others who have had the same experience to come to terms with it in a healthy way. Being my authentic self means embracing all my idiosyncrasies. I get anxiety, I get a little bit of lowness, I get racing thoughts, I get trauma responses, I've had psychosis. I am enough! In fact, I've probably had more experiences than most in life, and that makes me a fuller, more rich individual overall. Take your mental health and wear it like a badge of honor. You deserve to be celebrated for your experience.