When I got back on social media I decided I was only going to post happy things. My Facebook posts usually end with a <3 or J. That has not always been the case. For much of my life I have been very unhappy and insecure. People who knew me through high school and college can attest to that. As a teenager I suffered from severe depression and OCD. Due to my feelings of extreme worthlessness, I attempted suicide when I was 16. In college I didn’t share much about my past; I was ashamed of it.

As a teenager I assumed I was going to have to live with OCD and take medication forever to control my symptoms. Several months ago I came across an article explaining the “broken leg” model of recovery. It explained there are people (myself included) who have made a complete recovery from mental illness- no medication, no therapy, no symptoms. This is not to condemn people who are receiving treatment. Anyone living with a mental illness is a soldier. According to statistics, that’s 1 out of 4 adults (26.2 percent of U.S. population). And yes, medication has helped me in the past. I advise people who are on medication to keep taking it.

My morning routine goes something like this: wake up, watch Law of Attraction video on Youtube (helps me stay happy), meditate for 20 minutes, say positive affirmations in the mirror, begin day. I find doing this first thing in the morning helps keep me on track for the rest of the day. It helps keep negative thoughts away; it helps me maintain a good mood. Whenever I don’t have time to meditate in the morning, I find time to mediate at night, but I always strive to get 20 minutes in.

I cannot say I immediately felt monumentally better when I first started this practice. But when I continued this, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, it has made all the difference.

This blog will be focused on happiness (big surprise there J). I will share with you whatever is on my mind, the stories I wrote, tips on maintaining happiness, entertaining tidbits, etc.

My memoir “Fall and Rise: My Journey to Happiness” is on sale at Amazon (link below). I wrote my life story to give people hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I believe if a girl (now woman) who attempted suicide at age 16 could find happiness, then so can anyone.     

Fall and Rise: My Journey to Happiness