Accepting others

My friend I’ve known for many years now has been very open with me, talking about her past and how it affects her to this day. She has also given me permission to share her story with TWE!

Me and my friend met over social media a few years ago, we started talking because of our love for the twins known as Jedward. She saw how much I got to travel to see the twins so she wanted to get to know me but what I didn’t know was her life was very restricted.

My friend has a past with mental health and she’s been in and out of hospital since the age of 13. That to me is really hard for a teenager, she was telling me how she didn’t get to go to school to get an education because she was just so ill to even attend school.

One other reason she reached out to me was because she saw I started a Youtube channel where I share my story with mental health. She told me that she really found me inspiring and brave to be that open about my past. So, that’s how we formed a friendship by sharing our stories with each other!

When she started to go into detail about her story I could really see how much it affected her and how she’s still here fighting each day! But she told me about her restricted life and how she wasn’t allowed to have her own freedom, no mobile phone, no social media. It had to be one-on-one, so that meant she was watched all the time with everything she did.

Just hearing that was really heartbreaking for me because I couldn’t imagine not being able to have my own personal time. Being watched with every move I made, it’s really unbelievable at first but I knew she was still feeling that pain. 

This meant she was monitored when taking her medication and people had to make sure she was safe. She continued to tell me what it was like there in the secured unit, people really paranoid and just crying all the time because they felt like they were in a prison. 

Hearing her story really made me think that I should appreciate how lucky I was and am to have my freedom and own time. But also to have gained an education too when she didn’t really does make you think her childhood and teenage years were taken away from her.

I know it was the best for her and her own health going into that place but to hear her own words about her experience was really life changing. We connected on so many levels with our mental health and we talked about how depression affected us both. 

Now, she lives in her own flat that is a part of supported living, so there is 24/7 support for her. She has come a very long way in her life and I’m proud to call her one of my friends!

This time last year, she was still in hospital but now she does have her own flat with her own personal time. 

Plus, she wasn’t allowed out by herself unless she was accompanied by staff. But this past Monday she made a huge step in her recovery and was allowed to travel by herself to come and visit me. 

I truly do admire her strength and passion for sharing her story! But just goes to show how much you should really appreciate your freedom in life!

Some advice I learnt from my friend was not to put your life on hold for one person, you should live your life to the fullest! Always put your needs before others because you are the one who needs the strength and energy to care for others.

If you would like to check out my youtube channel click here;
https://www.youtube.com/c/MelissaGrimes

Mel