"I’d been a single mom for 12 years, and as a single mom, I really put everyone, including my child, first in my life. Without having a significant other to share everyday stress and life challenges, life can kind of weigh on you. I was self-employed and uninsured, and I didn't think that therapy was a luxury that I could afford."
"I had been stuck for a few years in some thinking patterns and feeling some regret about certain life choices I had made. Honestly, that poem that talks about 'hope deferred,' oh my gosh, I felt like I was at the bottom of the barrel, just about, with feeling hope, so almost hopeless. I was going day-to-day, you know, still operating, doing what I needed to do, but the light wasn't really on."
"I didn't realize until I was in my early 20s the dysfunction of my family and what effect it had on me growing up. Anxiety started to really build, and I began to understand what it was as it was creeping in. It started to affect my relationships with family and friends, as well as my more intimate relationships."
"For a lot of my life, my battle was learning how to deal with my own inner demons. When you mix drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy fellowship, you have a really negative cocktail. It was unhealthy relationships, drugs, alcohol, and isolation. What I was lacking was the importance of fellowship."