Sometimes it feels as if I live in two different worlds; one where mental illness is stigmatised and hidden away from the world, where no one wants to admit their imperfections and struggles, and another where burnout, depression and anxiety are almost seen as a badge of honour for how hard you are working, and mental illness is seen as just another everyday occurrence.
Yet whichever side you experience, it is undeniable that levels of mental illness are at an all time high. So many people are struggling on a daily basis, fearing they are broken and will never recover. But I’m here to say, there is nothing wrong with being broken. In fact, many of us are broken. But in being broken, you have the ability to be reborn and rebuild yourself.
While in the physical world something which has been broken and repaired is weaker than the original, the opposite is true for humans. For those who break and have the courage to piece themselves back together are the strongest of us all.
So to those who have been broken beyond repair, with no hope of ever seeing themselves again, I see you. And I trust you. And I know you will find a way back to yourself. Take your time to heal and when you return to yourself, know that everything that was thrown your way, every obstacle, every roadblock, every moment you felt you could not go on, you overcame and you became stronger. You are stronger than you were before and nothing will ever change that. For when we rebuild ourselves, we pick the strongest pieces.
-Tia Shah
Contributing Writer
Girl Museum Inc.