JacquelynJoyce
"Courage is to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart."
(Brene Brown)
When you hear the words "hospital" and "mental ward", you think of the word "loony bin", don't you? Or did I just put that in your head? Either way, it usually comes with a negative connotation in some way or another. You get what I mean. I hate it, and I hate that mental illness is stigmatized at all, but that's the world and society we live in. I want to bring more light to it all in my writing, and I hope others will follow suit, as a lot already have.
When I was 25 years old, I went to the Emergency Room at a nearby hospital after having a breakdown that was very close to leaving me dead. I was admitted to the mental ward of that same hospital and went up there that night. I stayed for 5 days, from Sunday night to Friday afternoon.
And in that time, I transformed. I went from a wilted rose to a new rose fully formed. I became a butterfly. I was called "Spring".
This memoir-writing is going to be all about my journey with mental illness/health, what lead up to my hospital visit, and what happened during and after it. It's going to be a long therapeutic ride for everyone.
"Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we'll ever do."
(Brene Brown)
~*~
"Life is beautiful and brutal; Life is brutiful."
(Glennon Doyle Melton)
"Stay strong" / "You seem like a wonderful young lady even though I just met you." / "Take care of yourself" / "Good luck" / "You remind me of spring. You've bloomed and transformed here." / "You matter" / "She is a lovely young lady" / "It's all going to be okay" <3
(Things that patients and staff told me when they left and when I left the hospital.)
~*~
Dedicated to,
The Joyce to my Jacquelyn; my best friend; E&E; my sunflower; my support system including my family and co-workers; all the friends/staff I met in the hospital; and anyone that might be suffering. It will be okay.
~*~