“My anxiety has taken away a lot of things, but it has given me so much more.”

“I thought that the rest of my life was going to be like that, but there is a way out. Trust me when I say life is amazing once you find that freedom.”

“My youngest son, Benjamin, died by suicide in 2010, which catapulted me a million miles away into a strange new existence.”

“My anxiety and depression brought me here. They brought me to connect with people I never would have otherwise. They got me to write. They got me to see the world and others in a new light.”

“The right to peace in my life does not have to be earned, and I will tell myself as many times as is necessary.”

“The biggest thing that has helped is just having a clear sense of what works for me, and what doesn’t. Being surrounded by nature. Making deep, personal connections with people.”

“In a way, beginning Narratives of Hope has been a celebration of how far I’ve come. I am still standing and I’m alive, and it has never felt so undoubtedly clear that this is my purpose in my life.”

“I’m here today thanks to my past self who somehow had the resilience and the bravery to keep going through those countless moments she wished she didn’t have to. If she could see me now, I think she’d agree it was worth it.”

“My journey with mental health has taught me a lot of things: that it’s never over; being vulnerable is a sign of strength; self-love can be quiet and loud.”