community stories
Welcome to our community! Here you will find personal stories, articles, poems and other creative pieces by writers from all around the world.
Immerse yourself in these wonderful accounts of life and mental health, told from the point of view of caretakers, people who are going through it, people who are healing, and people just like you and me.
Because we all have a story, and we all have our own personal struggles and journeys. And we want you to know that it’s okay to.
The loss of someone you don’t know: How Matthew Perry’s death affected me
I was in elementary school when I first watched an episode of Friends. I was immediately drawn to the character of Chandler. We were both awkward. We were both funny. We both had problems. He was one of my first TV crushes after Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. I became...
The loss of someone you don’t know: How Matthew Perry’s death affected me
I was in elementary school when I first watched an episode of Friends. I was immediately drawn to the character of Chandler. We were both awkward. We were both funny. We both had problems. He was...
Leaving Comfort for Peace
How many people have you met that were very comfortable but unpeaceful? Probably a few. Howmany have you met that were peaceful but uncomfortable? The latter is probably a harder image to conjure up. Most of us live as if the unpredictable nature of life was a...
Taking Care of Myself
This is Part 6, the final article in a series of personal articles detailing what it is like to be a caretaker for Bipolar disorder, titled "Outside Looking In" Read Part 1 here Caring for a loved one with a mental health diagnosis is more than a full-time job. It’s a...
Navigating the Healthcare System
As a caregiver for a loved one with a mental health diagnosis, few roles are as important as helping figure out the morass of the healthcare system that tries to care for mental health patients. For the person in the throes of a mental health episode, there’s no way...
Helping Children
This is Part 4 of a series titled "Outside Looking In" Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Read Part 3 Every couple dealing with a mental health diagnosis has to wrestle with the question of children. Can the parent with the mental health diagnosis contribute to parenting? Can...
Happiness On Horseback, Simply Slowing Down
Whoa Nelly... slow down… Imagine yourself living on a horse ranch without any reception or internet. You’re surrounded by nothing but the sound of trees rustling, birds chirping, and maybe the distant moo of cattle or neigh of a horse. There are no TVs. There is no...
Stepping up when it counts
This is part 3 of a series titled "Outside Looking In" Read part 1 here Read part 2 here Every family has its routines. Someone washes the dishes. Someone takes out the trash. Someone cooks. You get the idea. But what happens when a family member has a mental health...