Hi there and welcome to The Everyday Self! I guess I should start with a little introduction about myself, my experiences with mental health, and why I started this blog to begin with!
So here goes nothing...my name is Nicole and I'm a 22-year-old from London, Ontario, Canada. I think anyone from London can say that this city is kinda boring, especially in the Winter when you feel the effects of seasonal depression kick in once the hype of Christmas dies down. That's when you're left sitting in thousands of layers of fluffy sweaters and cozy blankets thinking about life's big questions:"who am I?", "what are my goals in life?", "who am I meant to be?", "what is my purpose in life?" Other than bruding over life's biggest questions, I am a full-time graduate student at Yorkville University's Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program and part-time tutor for elementary and high-school students. Safe to say...there are some good days and some days where I want to rip my hair out...but nevertheless, it's amazing to watch children learn and see that little lighbulb go off in their heads once they finally understand how to use a capital letter! (haha!)
I graduated with an undergraduate degree at Western University in June of 2017 with a Honours Double Major in Psychology and Sociology and got accepted to pursue my Masters degree in September of 2017. It's safe to say, I've been a non-stop train of education since the age of 2...and 20 years later I'm still trucking along!
Pursing a graduate-level degree in mental health has not always been my "dream job". As a child I had always wanted to be a pediatrician and be involved in the health care field. But as I got older, I quickly realized my passions lied elsewhere and I quickly diverted my route and decided Psychology was the way to go when I began dealing with the personal affects of anxiety and panic attacks. Little did I know, stress can do that to you! Although anxiety has been a setback to me in certain ways, it has allowed me to grow substantially as a human being and helped me develop my "Everyday Self"! (I'll write up an indepth post on my experiences with anxeity and panic attacks soon don't worry!)
I decided to start this blog to empower others with knowledge about mental health and share stories to engage each other in discussions about mental health and it's adverse affects. I engage in constant discussion with my peers and professors at Yorkville University about mental health, and yet find the conversation difficult in a real-life setting. Talking about mental health, especially our own experiences, can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable or "crazy" but in reality, it's a normal part of life! All of us, at some time in our lives, will experience some affect of mental health as it's a part of growing as an individual and as human beings in society. I wanted to start a platform where people could learn about mental health in a way that was at their own pace, in their own setting, and at their own comfort level. Sharing stories is how we get the conversation going and allows us to see that we are not alone in our paths to unlocking our true selves. I hope this blog empowers you to do some research, learn about yourself, and ask yourself the hard questions. I hope it encourages you to talk about mental health in a way that is constructive and helpful. And lastly, I hope this blog allows us to come together and create a community built on trust, compassion, and knoweldge.
With that said, I would like to open this blog up for you to share your story with mental health or ask questions you may have! If you have a personal story about your experiences with mental health and would like to share it on The Everyday Self, please send me an email at everydayself1@gmail.com. Please indicate if you would like your story to be anonymous or if you would like your name (first name and last inital only) to be shared. Also, if you have any mental health-related questions, please feel free to contact me at any time!
Now, grab your cup of tea and a cozy blanket and lets talk about mental health!
Nicole
xoxo