The idea of having a Bipolar Disorder stung me for a long time. When I’m feeling down, sometimes I feel the pressures of the stigma revolving around my mental illness. I always felt like there was a “normal” Valerie or a status quo that I had to

live up to. The way I perceived the stigma on mental illness was detrimental to my health and self esteem. When I was 11 years old, my father also suddenly passed away. I “put in my mind” that life is too short and that I “needed” to do something good with my life. I put a lot of pressure on myself, I pretended to be happy when I was crying inside, I was a perfectionist, and I struggled to talk about my emotions. I felt like why did he have to pass away. Through self reflection, I came to realize that my dad lived a very meaningful and inspiring life to me. My gift and curse that I learned from my dad is how little time we have on earth. But my gift from him is that he gave me hope and he taught me that with our time we can learn to love each other, to enjoy the little finer things in life, and to give back to others who are in need. And I’m happy that I get to use my god given talents and voice to speak up about mental health and things that once were suppressed and buried deep within me. Art has been my outlet and has helped me to express what I couldn’t vocally to others. I turned my negative thoughts and transformed them into something beautiful and creative. The remarkable thing about recovery is that I know now that I’m a resilient person and that my fears can’t stop me as long as I don’t give it power to consume me. I also believe in myself and that no matter how much I slip up or stray away from recovery, I know I am worthy of love and living. I am stronger than my negative self talk. I am not just someone with Bipolar Disorder I am more than a label and I’m here to end the stigma of mental illness. Even if events in our lives make us question our direction in life, don’t give up! Don’t be afraid to seek help whether it be a therapist or a friend. You are loved by others more than you’ll ever know. I’m so thankful for this wonderful opportunity to talk about my recovery. Thank you!