Six Months!

This day, 6 months ago, I was released from the hospital. I had been in and out of the hospital 4 times since January and I struggled and wondered if the cycle of hospital visits would ever stop. Each hospital visit, my doctors tried a new mixture of medications to get rid of my paranoia and psychosis. Together, we struggled to bring me back to stability.

This day, 6 months ago, I was released from the hospital. I never thought that today would come. You see, today marks 6 months since my last hospital visit! Half a year. Something I never thought possible.  The road to today has not been the easiest and I often still struggle with symptoms of my disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar, PTSD, possible autism), but I am still making it through without going to the hospital.

I will never forget the day that I was released. It was my 24th birthday and I guess my birthday present was my new diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar, formally known in combination as schizoaffective disorder. I struggled at first when I got out, but it's gotten easier over time. Sometimes, each day is a struggle but I take it one step at a time. I owe it all to my family, my therapist, my pastor and my psychiatrist and all of the people who have been rooting for me all this time.

People often wonder how I make it through each day with multiple mental illnesses, but I guess it all comes down to one word, "Believe." Believe in yourself. Believe in God. Believe in the impossible. Believe in the best. In order to make it this far without a hospitalization, I have had to believe that it was possible, even when I wanted to doubt. I had to believe in my inner strength and the strength that God has given me. I had to believe that what truly looked insurmountable and impossible was truly possible. I had to believe that I could beat the odds.

So I celebrate today in making it as far as I have. This is the longest stretch of no hospital visits since 2010. And that is something I really am excited about. I am beyond blessed...