Meet the Mental Community

My Story

My earliest memories are of my parents fighting.  They started their divorce when I was around 2, and it was messy.  My mom was diagnosed with cancer.  She was in and out of the hospital, a single mom working multiple jobs to support me, my brother, and my sister.  We moved at least once a year, constantly changing schools.  She went into remission twice before skin cancer finally claimed her life when I was around 12.  Within weeks of her passing, my brother-sister, and I moved from Michigan to New York to live with our Dad and his new wife.  I didn’t know how to cope with my grief, I had night terrors and felt terribly alone.  I started drinking and stopped caring, trying to push everything down.  After my brother and sister moved out I got especially reckless.  I didn’t feel safe at home but I didn’t think I had anything to lose. I got into trouble with school, the police, and my Dad.  He sent me away to Michigan to live with my mom’s brother. I felt like a waste.  My uncle was being paid to take care of me; I was unlovable.  I kept partying but started snowboarding.  It saved my life, I finally found something I cared about more than getting drunk and high.  I went to college, kept snowboarding, and kept partying.  I was taking antidepressants but feeling so empty and unstable.  I tried to bury everything from my childhood, but eventually, it started creeping up, and I couldn’t handle how much I hated myself.  I signed myself up for outpatient treatment for alcoholism.  I started doing EMDR and talk therapy.  I started meditating, journaling, and talking about the nightmares from my past.  I still have bad days, but I'm learning to love myself.  

I've learned that we shouldn’t compare trauma, it only causes more pain.  We’re all on our own path, and if we can work together and share empathy we will grow stronger.  My journey made me who I am today.  If I look at my past I can learn from it, and it’s not something to be ashamed of or something to hold up like a war medal.  It is what it is, and it’s an opportunity for growth.

Best Way To Contact

Email: laura@weareallmental.com

Text:  (802) 310-3381

If you want to talk on the phone, shoot me a text first and we can pick a time :)

My Story

I've been scared a lot. My parents divorce scared the crap out of me. I didn't know what to do, or how to feel. One thing was certain though, I thought I had to make sure my mom, dad and brother were all "ok." So I buried my own pain and tried to help others manage theirs. 

Snowboarding scared the crap out of me. From a young age I felt a lot of pressure to be good at snowboarding. I remember countless times being scared to the point of tears trying to do a trick. Every time I got injured I would hit a new low. My depression came in waves. It would crash down suddenly, and I would start to slip. I hated life. 

Learning online meant I had few friends. My dog, Poco, was my closest friend, the idea of him passing scared the crap out of me. I would start sobbing at the thought. He was the one thing in the world that I could emotionally rely on. I felt safer when I was with him. My world crumbled.

I made it to the other side. I am learning and growing from my experiences. Life feels a little easier to navigate nowadays. I have friends, a few communities, and more coping mechanisms. I have found more control in my life. Even still I get extremely insecure. The voices in my head tell me lies. They tell me I'm a fraud, I am not loveable, that I'm weak, and that it's wrong to be gay.

I'm trying my best to deprogram those internal messages and replace them with the truth. It can be scary and hard, but it probably won't be the end. I have built into my life things that can bring me joy and I'm learning to be ok with being mediocre at things. 

I have the skills and tools to navigate the sea. Life is an adventure, and I'm still leveling up. 

Best Way To Contact

Email:  alexisroland@gmail.com

Feel free to email me :) We all have inherent worth, it's not something we earn. 

My Story

My life took a sharp turn when I found out that my back was broken. I had been on a path as a snowboarder, adventurer, and full-time traveler who loved to party. When the doctors told me that I would need a spinal fusion and would have to give up snowboarding as well as running, or any impact sports, I was devastated, my world flipped upside down. I received the surgery and had a long battle of relearning how to move with new restrictions and post-operative pain.  When the pain intensified instead of lessening, I became highly addicted to pain medications, and the compulsive cycle to feel less sensation began. Flashback ten years, and I had a major spill that was the culprit of my broken back. The news was so heartbreaking that I convinced myself that it would heal and that nothing was wrong, I managed a broken back for nearly 10 years through the art of denial and used adrenaline rushes, and partying as a method to suppress my uncertainty.  Currently, I struggle with body anxiety, panic, and post-traumatic stress disorder due to the many years of injuries, surgeries, and irrational thinking, and am working hard to forgive myself and regain trust in my mind-body connection. I started making Sassy Salve, an all-natural, herbal pain-relieving salve that helps me manage my pain without meds, and aids to ease muscles and inflammation!  A few years after that, I stopped taking pain medications and have been able to feel every little sensation in my body for the first time. Another large aspect of my healing has been working with my teachers to develop a strong yoga and breathwork practice - this provides my body with a safe way to heal and re-wire my brain for a bright future.  I'm confident that if I keep showing up to meetings, classes, community events, and my daily practices will keep taking me where I need to go. 

Best Way To Contact
Email: marie@apothecaholistic.co

Text:  (810) 333-0111 or leave a voicemail

My Story

My first boyfriend cheated on me for half a year with his ex-girlfriend. I was noticing it pretty soon but not acting accordingly with my emotions. I should have left him, but didn’t, as he convinced me that I was doing him wrong. I trusted him over trusting my gut.

My dad passed away when I was a teenager, which also fucked me up pretty much as I would describe myself a dadskid.

I only started to feel better and understand my needs better when I started to go to therapy (Verhaltenstherapie, which is a therapy paid by insurance in Germany) and quit alcohol once and for all. Being sober for a while now changed my life 100% to the better and I’m trusting my gut feelings again more and more, which is crucial to my happiness and following my goals and dreams . In September 2021 I stumbled over Laura’s WE’RE ALL FUCKING MENTAL via social media and here I am.

Best Way To Contact

Text, Signal, Telegram, Whatsapp: 0049 (0) 177 839 70 80

Email: micha.regina.bra@gmail.com

My Story

Anxiety has roamed my veins from a very young age. For as long as I can remember I have never felt like I fitted in or that I was lovable. The feeling of not belonging is a very lonely one. My childhood was full of laughter, love, and adventure but it was also full of disruptiveness, anger, and fear. At around the age of 7 two events occurred. Event One became a suppressed memory that I didn’t grasp the full extent of until I was 25. Event Two involved a tick bite that allowed bacteria to enter my bloodstream. The bacteria slowly convinced my body to start fighting against itself. That time of my life set me up for many years of confusion and desperately seeking answers no one could give me. Fast forward 20 years later Two more events happened to me. Firstly I started to get a clear understanding of the event, giving me clarity as to why I felt so out of place around males. Secondly, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. It was an amazing feeling to get some answers but didn’t mean the pain stopped there. There were and still are a lot of bad habits which need to be unlearned. I felt broken and unfixable for a very long time and the sense of feeling alone, even when I am fully aware I am not, may never leave me. Snowboarding became the one place I felt I could 100% be me. Even if I spent most of my time riding solo due to feeling like I didn’t belong in the social environment surrounding snowboarding, I could always rely on a hike session or quick laps on fresh groomers to help encourage a deeper drive to keep on keeping on. Then I found this community which has given me a platform to be open and vulnerable without judgment or misunderstanding. I cry happy tears thinking about the people involved in this and what they have shared and shown me. Even when I can’t show up to every meeting, it’s humbling knowing I have support there for me when I need it. If I can give back just a little of what they have given me, it would be a simple act of paying it forward.  

Best Way To Contact

Whatsapp: +64 20 4172 4011
Email: zazenhub@gmail.com

Instagram:  @zazenhub