Wouldn’t it be nice if this sign above was everywhere? Any place you go in this world, there should be a sign like so others don’t judge a book by its cover. Well, if you’re sick and tired of living in fear, in judgment, in constant scrutiny, and stigma: you’ve come to the RIGHT place.
On this website and all social media accounts: it’s a Judgement Free Zone. Any and all violators will be banned or their cars get towed. That part about their cars getting towed, is a joke by the way. It’s here where you can openly tell your story with NO judgement at all. From one sufferer to the next, I can relate to you to a certain extent. And I will lend you an ear when you need it.
Hence, the birth of the blog! When I started this on June 29th and it’s now September 1st (Really? September, already?), my mission has always been the same: Raising awareness of mental illness and educating others and end the stigma. For the most part, everyone has messaged me about their own struggles and others are curious as to what I do. Remember the mission above. When I read about everyone’s struggles, I read them with an open mind and an open heart. I can relate to dark times.
I will say this: “Don’t be ashamed of living with mental illness.” Yes, life is tough with this. And yes, most people don’t understand and are not well versed in the manner. But at some point, we all experience dark times in our lives. We also get depressed. Life isn’t always fair. We get hurt by someone and we experience things that we wish we could erase from our lives but can’t.
I’m a personal advocate on living life with an open mind and an open heart that’s judgement free. I don’t judge others especially if they’re from different backgrounds and different cultures. I love meeting people from very different backgrounds. A lot of people who I know are different races, some are straight and some aren’t. I don’t judge. I love diversity and many people need to embrace that. Some of my favorite co-workers are nice young guys that are not straight, but I’m OK with that. It’s your life, right? No judgement.
But what I don’t put up with is scrutiny and disrespect. I will not accept any judgement or vulgar comments on my site or my social media accounts. You will be banned faster than you can say it. There was a nice one left on my personal and professional social media accounts. I won’t name any names, but it hurt. I was mad. I understand everyone has their own experiences, their own opinions, but some things are better left unsaid. Because of that comment, I’ve had the worst depression and anxiety. Words can really hurt especially from someone who knows you. Any complaints that I get from work from people who I don’t know, I dust them off and continue.
Working at Starbucks, there are a ton of particular people and some are very specific to a tee. I understand. I want my drink made right, too. But I will not throw a fit or use vulgar language to get what I want. For more than three years, I’ve seen my share of customer fits and outbursts. What these people don’t realize is that screaming or whining won’t get you anywhere. It just stresses out my staff and I even more. Working at Starbucks and any food service industry is tough. I mean tough! So be nice to service workers and to everyone.
So get the word out to all that we will not, I mean NOT, live in fear or judgement or stigma. The future is stigma free.
Check out one of my favorite websites and listen to stories about people living with mental illness:
To all of the negative critics in your life tell them to read the box above!
No Laughing Matter 