It’s not that I didn’t believe mental illness existed.
I did.
And I believed other people suffered from it. But I didn’t want to claim it as part of my identity. Or worse, I was afraid of having a doctor confirm what I already believed: that my issues stemmed from some type of personal shortcoming. That I simply didn’t care or work hard enough to be happy/be organized/be more energetic.
This belief was one of the main reasons I didn’t seek treatment until I was 25...after many, many years of white knuckling through ‘bad spells’. In the years since, a mix of therapy and medication have helped enormously. Oftentimes, though, “bad” thoughts still come knocking (or rather, they sneak in and grab hold, even before I’m aware)…
I made this comic after one of those ‘bad spells’.
Writing and drawing this comic (and now rereading it) helped me question those bad, self-defeating thoughts… and if you’re here reading this, I hope it brings you some sunshine too!
A sincerest 谢谢 to those who helped me (all of us, really) turn toward the light. Those close to us (pets, partner, family, friends, therapists!)… & those who may not even know we exist (musicians, artists, storytellers…).
Thank you