The world is filled with many wonderful and compassionate human beings and I truly believe most of these people have a light inside of them and wish to contribute to making the world a better place. However, I think most people are hurt and carry their trauma with them where ever they go. Hurt people hurt people. This creates a cycle of pain and suffering. It's unfortunate, especially when you've been both a victim and also the one who has transferred your own pain onto others. As someone who has personally struggled with mental health issues, I know first-hand how debilitating it can be, especially when you don't have the support from those around you. For the longest time, I blamed myself and had suffered from low self-worth. During these dark times, I self-harmed, self-medicated and even contemplated suicide. I didn't have any healthy outlets for releasing my negative emotions nor was it ever modeled to me on how to properly emotionally regulate. I lacked boundaries and became a slave to pleasing others in an attempt to control how they perceived me. Deep down, I was starving for acceptance and validation because it was something I never got as a child. I just wanted to be seen and loved. These experiences shaped my life, and it made me more compassionate toward others around me. I found peace in my own solitude once I planted a garden in my mind and planted seeds to nurture. After lots of therapy, I could finally say that my mind was a kind and gentle place. Since this time in my life, I discovered my passion for mental health through holistic modalities. I believe that everything is linked and if we truly want to heal, we must think of our bodies as an entire organism that is not separate from one another or from nature itself. One where we are all connected. Where being able to cultivate a safe space is just as conducive to our health as to the things we are consuming and the people that we surround ourselves with. Living with mental health issues allowed me to see the world from a different lens. After I was able to heal myself, I started seeing others with more compassion and love and from there, I decided to commit myself to be in service to others and to uplift the world. Healed people heal others and I wanted to dedicate my life to help others see their own light that already exists within them. I wanted to do all I could to give back to the world. To use my gifts and create a positive change that would only ripple outwards and continue to spread.

Mental health is important because it is linked to well-being. If I am struggling mentally, then I'm not at my full capacity and it limits me from being able to put out my best work. Struggling with mental health can be incredibly draining on your energy. As someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety all my life, I know first-hand how debilitating it can be, especially when you don't have the support from those around you. For the longest time, I blamed myself and had suffered from low self-worth. During these dark times, I self-harmed, self-medicated and even contemplated suicide. I didn't have any healthy outlets for releasing my negative emotions nor was it ever modeled to me on how to properly emotionally regulate. I lacked boundaries and became a slave to people pleasing in an attempt to control how others perceived me. Deep down, I was starving for acceptance and validation because it was something I never got as a child. I just wanted to be seen and loved. As a sensitive introvert that didn't have many friends, one of my coping mechanisms was to withdraw from the world around me and retreat into my little bubble where I thought I could be safe. Being in my own headspace was still very dark because I was not kind to myself at the time, but it was better than having to pretend that there was nothing wrong at all. These experiences shaped my life, and it made me more compassionate toward others around me. I found peace in my own solitude once I planted a garden in my mind and planted seeds to nurture. After lots of therapy, I could finally say that my mind was a kind and gentle place. And while I still experience depression and anxiety regularly, I know how to self-regulate now. I know that in order to transmute my emotions, I need to allow myself to feel them fully, to sit with them and only then will I be able to release these emotions. I've found that being in nature allows me to recharge my energy and to ground myself. In order to keep my soul happy, I need to chase after my passions, to create art from my heart and to have many deep and meaningful conversations. I need to make sure I'm being authentic only saying yes and doing what feels right to me. This has been crucial to maintaining my mental wellness.

My future self is a living embodiment of balance. I am grounded in all aspects of my life and have established healthy boundaries for myself. Because of this, I can show up fully and authentically in all of my relationships. I am an entrepreneur that has built an empire of wealth. To me, wealth means being able to share my success with those I love. To be healthy, strong and free. I can do whatever I want in my life, create art, spend time in nature, travel and help uplift and give back to the world.

I've struggled with mental health issues from a young age. Born into this world as a natural free spirit, highly sensitive and attuned to other people's emotions and energy. I was however met with rejection and not given much emotional support during my early formative childhood years and young adulthood. As a young child with undiagnosed ADHD, I soon discovered how out of place I felt in the world. I did not feel understood and for this, I blamed myself for a very long time. I had horrible self-esteem which soon led me to withdraw from everyone around me as a coping mechanism. My environment and perhaps my genetic disposition contributed to the mental health issues I started to develop. I ended up finding myself in an abusive relationship and surrounded by people who did not have my best interests in mind. In 2018, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was all while being a silent victim to mental health issues. I did not have the resources or support in coping with the intense feelings I was experiencing, nor did I know how to reach out for the help I needed. I fell into other issues due to high-risk choices that had led me down a winding road of substance abuse. It was after having hit rock bottom, I finally decided to seek therapy, where I was diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety and PTSD. What came next was quite possibly the very thing I needed that allowed me to process and reflect on my experiences as a survivor of narcissistic abuse. I would attend 1-on-1 talk therapy sessions and I also found comfort and resonance in group therapy. Most of the groups I attended were held in the park. Seeing this as an opportunity to be able to immerse myself in nature gave me the time and space to reflect and heal my traumas. Incorporating the element of stillness into my routines was where I found healing through developing a healthier relationship with myself, with God, and to trust in my intuition. I spent much time in my own company, reflecting and journaling as well as creating art to express, release and to better understand myself. This marked the beginning of a journey to mindful living and a dedication to healing and transformation. Since this time in my life, I discovered my passion for mental health through holistic modalities. I believe that everything is linked and if we truly want to heal, we must think of our bodies as an entire organism that is not separate from one another or from nature itself. One where we are all connected. Where being able to cultivate a safe space is just as conducive to our health as to the things we are consuming and the people that we surround ourselves with. Living with mental health issues allowed me to see the world from a different lens. After I was able to heal myself, I started seeing others with more compassion and love and from there, I decided to commit myself to be in service to others and to uplift the world to give back in whatever ways that I could.

I've struggled with mental health issues from a young age. Born into this world as a natural free spirit, highly sensitive and attuned to other people's emotions and energy, I was also curious, creative and adventurous. I went into the world with gusto and many questions. I was however met with rejection and not given much emotional support during my early formative childhood years and young adulthood. As a young child with undiagnosed ADHD, I soon discovered how out of place I felt in the world. I did not feel understood and for this, I blamed myself for a very long time. I had horrible self-esteem which soon led me to withdraw from everyone around me as a coping mechanism. My environment and perhaps my genetic disposition contributed to the mental health issues I started to develop. After high school, I decided to join the military due to pressure from my parents, and as an attempt to incorporate structure and discipline into my life. Thus, I began my journey and enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) for 6 years. During this time, I felt especially lost in the world without true purpose and felt as though I did not fit into that space either. The military was not a healthy environment that inspired growth for me personally. It felt as though I were spiritually shackled with no true way to be or express myself in this organization. During this time, I had just found out my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was also in an abusive relationship and surrounded by people who did not have my best interests in mind. This was all while being a silent victim to mental health issues. I did not have the resources or support in coping with the intense feelings I was experiencing, nor did I know how to reach out for the help I needed. I fell into other issues due to high-risk choices that had led me down a winding road of substance abuse. It was after having hit rock bottom, I finally decided to seek therapy, where I was diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety and PTSD. What came next was quite possibly the very thing I needed that allowed me to process everything from an involuntary sober state and to reflect on my experiences as a survivor of narcissistic abuse. I would attend 1-on-1 talk therapy sessions and I also found comfort and resonance in group therapy. Most of the groups I attended were held in the park, not far from the beach. Seeing this as an opportunity to be able to immerse myself in nature gave me the time and space to reflect and heal my traumas. Incorporating the element of stillness into my routines was where I found healing through developing a healthier relationship with myself, with God, and to trust in my intuition. I spent much time in my own company, reflecting and journaling as well as creating art to express, release and to better understand myself. This marked the beginning of a journey to mindful living and a dedication to healing and transformation. It took me a long time to realize that the choices I made then were not inherently “wrong”. Every choice I made taught me a valuable lesson I needed to learn. It had led me to where I needed to be and what is life if not a school for the soul? An ecstatic playground of learning and evolution. If it were not for my lowest point, I would not have discovered my soul. I would not have been pushed to new extremes that helped me break free from the pain of my own unhealthy coping mechanisms. A part that could not be broken down any further. So perhaps it was all a great gift because I had discovered such an important part of myself. Since this time in my life, I discovered my passion for mental health through holistic modalities. I believe that everything is linked and if we truly want to heal, we must think of our bodies as an entire organism that is not separate from one another or from nature itself. One where we are all connected. Where being able to cultivate a safe space is just as conducive to our health as to the things we are consuming and the people that we surround ourselves with. Living with mental health issues allowed me to see the world from a different lens. After I was able to heal myself, I started seeing others with more compassion and love and from there, I decided to commit myself to be in service to others and to uplift the world to give back in whatever ways that I could.

I've struggled with ADHD for as long as I can remember. Born into this world as a natural free spirit, highly sensitive and attuned to other people's emotions and energy, I was also curious, creative and adventurous. I went into the world with gusto and many questions. I was however met with rejection and not given much emotional support during my early formative childhood years and young adulthood. As a young child undiagnosed with ADHD, I soon discovered how out of place I felt in the world. I did not feel understood and for this, I blamed myself for a very long time. I was often punished for not being able to focus, pay attention in class, having poor time management, and many other skills that had to do with executive function. I was called lazy, annoying, stupid, and retarded by my parents, teachers and my peers. This led me to have horrible self-esteem which soon led me to withdraw from everyone around me as a coping mechanism. My environment and perhaps my genetic disposition contributed to the other mental health issues I started to develop. After discovering that I had ADHD, I decided to seek support. I was finally diagnosed with the inattentive type, where I learned that it is common for most girls to be overlooked until adulthood because they don't fit within the stereotypical parameters. I was relieved to know that there was nothing wrong with me. What the average person could do in school, that I could not led me to believe that there was something fundamentally wrong with me for so long. After learning more about ADHD, I started to make sense of it all and it dawned on me that the world was just not created to support neurodivergent brains. ADHD is usually viewed as a disability in a neurotypical world. While this world can be incredibly difficult and overwhelming, there are also some wonderful things that come with being neurodivergent. We are not damaged, broken, sick, pitiable or weird. We are sensitive, compassionate, creatives who bring a unique perspective to the world that most people are not attuned to see. We are weird, but being "weird" in a sane world is incredibly brave and very cool. We bring diversity and innovation to humanity. This was where I discovered my passion for mental health and a desire to spread more awareness to help more people understand those who go through this. I decided to pursue a higher education in Holistic Psychology so that I can help those who also struggle like I did and to provide more resources for those with mental health issues and learning disabilities to thrive in a world that was not created for all beings in mind.

I've struggled with mental health issues from a young age. Born into this world as a natural free spirit, highly sensitive and attuned to other people's emotions and energy, I was also curious, creative and adventurous. I went into the world with gusto and many questions. I was however met with rejection and not given much emotional support during my early formative childhood years and young adulthood. As a young child with (undiagnosed) ADHD, I soon discovered how out of place I felt in the world. I did not feel understood and for this, I blamed myself for a very long time. I had horrible self-esteem which soon led me to withdraw from everyone around me as a coping mechanism. My environment and perhaps my genetic disposition contributed to the mental health issues I started to develop. After high school, I decided to join the military due to pressure from my parents, and as an attempt to incorporate structure and discipline into my life. Thus, I began my journey and enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) for 6 years. During this time, I felt especially lost in the world without true purpose and felt as though I did not fit into that space either. The military was not a healthy environment that inspired growth for me in any way. It felt as though I were spiritually shackled with no true way to be or express myself in this organization. During this time, I had just found out my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was also in an abusive relationship and surrounded by people who did not have my best interests in mind. This was all while being a silent victim to mental health issues. I did not have the resources or support in coping with the intense feelings I was experiencing, nor did I know how to reach out for the help I needed. I fell into other issues due to high-risk choices that had led me down a winding road of substance abuse. It was after having hit rock bottom, I finally decided to seek therapy, where I was diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety and PTSD. What came next was quite possibly the very thing I needed that allowed me to process everything from an involuntary sober state and to reflect on my experiences as a survivor of narcissistic abuse. I would attend 1-on-1 talk therapy sessions and I also found comfort and resonance in group therapy. Most of the groups I attended were held in the park, not far from the beach. Seeing this as an opportunity to be able to immerse myself in nature gave me the time and space to reflect and heal my traumas. Incorporating the element of stillness into my routines was where I found healing through developing a healthier relationship with myself, with God, and to trust in my intuition. I spent much time in my own company, reflecting and journaling as well as creating art to express, release and to better understand myself. This marked the beginning of a journey to mindful living and a dedication to healing and transformation. It took me a long time to realize that the choices I made then were not inherently “wrong”. Every choice I made taught me a valuable lesson I needed to learn. It had led me to where I needed to be and what is life if not a school for the soul? An ecstatic playground of learning and evolution. If it were not for my lowest point, I would not have discovered my soul. I would not have been pushed to new extremes that helped me break free from the pain of my own unhealthy coping mechanisms. A part that could not be broken down any further. So perhaps it was all a great gift because I had discovered such an important part of myself. Since this time in my life, I discovered my passion for mental health through holistic modalities. I believe that everything is linked and if we truly want to heal, we must think of our bodies as an entire organism that is not separate from one another or from nature itself. One where we are all connected. Where being able to cultivate a safe space is just as conducive to our health as to the things we are consuming and the people that we surround ourselves with.