Julie, are you for real?

I get this question A LOT. Julie, are you for real? Do you really feel, believe, and action, the words and thoughts you share or is it just for Social Media? This is absolutely a fair question and I love it! My answer is YES and well, MOSTLY, YES…cheeky, I know. 

When I made the decision to share my healing and recovery journey, relative to my suicide attempt and my battle with depression and anxiety, I did so with a commitment to not only myself, but to YOU, that I would be as honest and transparent as I could possibly be; meaning I would be just as prepared to share my vulnerabilities with you as I would be my successes. So here’s the deal.

I would suggest that in any given moment what I am posting and writing about is flowing through me freely, authentically, and reflected consistently in my choices, actions, and behaviors, let’s say about 80% of the time. The other 20% I would suggest falls under the umbrella of “work in progress”, that is, I aspire to be in that particular place with myself and I am somewhere along the path of NOT GETTING IT AT ALL, to practicing the desired skill set and journeying toward its proficiency and actualization. My sharing of it with you is a form of goal-setting, with built in accountability to boot! You may also trust that when I put my intentions out there into the world, I AM FULLY COMMITTED.

The fact is mental health is HEALTH, just as physical health is HEALTH. The same devotion we extend to our bodies (this varies in degrees amongst us all too-ha!ha!) through consistent and disciplined exercise, diet, hydration, and regular visits to our Healthcare Practitioners, must too be extended to the management of our mental-emotional well-beings. I will take this one step further and suggest that we must begin to see and compassionately treat ourselves as WHOLE BEINGS (versus fragmented); an integration of breath, body, mind, emotion, energy, and soul. Nurturing all aspects of our humanness, with equal attentiveness and vigor; recognizing that each of these layers of “SELF” is inextricably linked and that a vulnerability in one creates a vulnerability in the others. This is the daily practice. This is my personal practice; I am a daily work in progress, passionately committed to the learning and the journey, and to living my life richly, authentically, albeit imperfectly.  So yes, I will share my personal breakthroughs and triumphs with you but you may also count on me to share with equal fervor my mistakes, missteps, and misfortunes. WHY? Because it’s being real and BEING REAL is damn important.

Herein lies the POSSIBILITY; herein lies acceptance and non-judgement, herein lies healing and recovery, herein lies inspired living and a greater capacity to move with grace and fortitude through the ups, downs, and realities of this life…YOUR VERY REAL, VERY EXQUISITE, VERY MAGICAL LIFE.

Gratitude. Love. Namaste.

Julie

IN THE CASE OF MENTAL HEALTH OR ADDICTIONS EMERGENCY/CRISIS: If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or addiction crisis and requires emergency assistance, CALL 9-1-1 OR GO TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL.