This is it.
I’m really doing this.
*deep breath*
This is a post where I’m “coming out” about my mental illness.
“Coming out” about a mental health condition comes with its own difficulties. Telling someone you have a mental illness can be nerve-wrecking and painful, even if you’re telling someone you trust and not screaming it to the entire world. Whether it’s telling one person, a crowd or the internet, it’s hard.
There are a lot of fears that run through my mind when I was contemplating to disclose my mental illness.
“Will they understand me?”
“How will this person react?”
“Will this change how they think of me?”
“Will they judge me?”
“Will they believe me – believe that I’m not making up stuff?”
“Will they still want me in their lives?”
The list goes on. Unfortunately, all of these are realistic questions. The only way to end the stigma though, is to speak about mental illness; to give it a face and a story. 😊 Hence, after years of contemplating whether I should do this or not, I’ve finally decided to document my life, my journey to recovery, and my strive for my dreams.
Hello, I’m Nadirah Rahim and I am diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, with underlying panic attacks, and slight depression (?) 😅. I’ve kept this to myself for several years, but now, I’m sharing it with you for two main reasons: (1) My recovery. (2) For any of you lonely peeps diagnosed with mental illness out there, you just found yourself a friend. 😉
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Notes: My diagnosis since has changed. It was a (very) long journey to pinpoint where all the symptoms come from. I don’t want to edit the writing because at that time, that was my truth.
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nadirahim.com 