You Are Not Alone (For when you believe the lies of mental illness)

June 7, 2018  - By Sarah Brown

You are not alone. Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true. - Blog post by Well-Watered Women

This post was written by Sarah Brown of Lovely Lettering Co. Sarah is a dear friend and who lives in Birmingham, AL and has worked with Well-Watered Women for the past two years. In light of the tragic news of Kate Spade passing, we felt that these words of encouragement were incredibly timely and needed to be shared.

You are not alone.

It’s always devastating to hear this kind of news. If I’ve learned anything from the past two years it is that you truly never know what is going on in someone’s life... even if it is masked behind pretty things and a well kept smile.

Kate Spade was and still is the staple for pretty, happy, and classic design. My heart is saddened to hear that someone who creates and designs such joyful products would be in a dark place in life enough to believe that this was the only escape from it.

Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true.

That you’re alone. That no one wants to be bothered with your problems. Don’t be the Debbie downer. Again. And again. Wow I guess this is just how your going to feel forever. I’m driving people away because I can’t just “be happy”. You can’t tell them “that” because then they’ll really think your crazy. And the lies keep piling and piling up until you think that there is only one way out.

You are not alone. Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true. - Blog post by Well-Watered Women

shine your light

Let’s light up that pit and expose the lie. Friend, you are not alone. I’ll light my candle first... I am currently walking into 3.5 years of trying and believing for our first precious child, 2 years of full on anxiety disorder with too many panic attacks to count. I (not so lovingly) refer to this season as “The Great Heaviness”.

TGH has affected my relationships and my business. I have seen days where if one more person told me “the joy of the Lord is my strength” I was going to scream. Days where panic attacks have left me mentality and physically debilitated so plans with friends and family had to be missed and appointments rescheduled.

I've also seen days so full of joy and peace right smack in the thick of it all. By the grace of God, I’m seeing more and more of the good days. But it wasn’t without having to ask for help and getting vulnerable. I have hope because although this is currently a part of my story, I know my story isn’t over. And my friend, yours isn’t either!

Let’s start the conversation. Light a candle.

If you have it all bottled in, find someone you trust to confide in. Keeping it in is believing the lie. If you don’t have someone to talk to, I’ll gladly lend an ear... just tell someone. You are so valued and loved.

“But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but GOD stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!” -2 Samuel‬ ‭22:17-20‬ ‭MSG

You are not alone. Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true. - Blog post by Well-Watered Women
You are not alone. Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true. - Blog post by Well-Watered Women

These beautiful illustrations are by Sarah. Follow her work on Instagram and find beautiful prints and mugs from her online store.

You can also find her work in the Well-Watered Shop on products such as the Give Me Jesus Journal, the Walk In Grace Journals, the Word Before World Mug, and the Redefined Study.

You are not alone. Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true. - Blog post by Well-Watered Women
You are not alone. Mental Illness is real. Period. And it lies to you constantly. And if you choose to listen to the lies long enough... it will convince you to believe that what it’s saying to you is true. - Blog post by Well-Watered Women

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  1. Bettye Brown says:

    So proud of my beautiful , courageous daughter- in law for sharing her story! Love you, Sarah!

  2. Terilane Ramsey says:

    Sarah! I am a good friend of Bettye’s and just today shared with her my 8 months of clinical depression caused by a chemical imbalance in my brain. It was the scariest thing I have ever been through. It was so dibilitating and scary! I simply could not function, was interested in nothing and became a prisoner in my own home! I god so tired of people telling me to open the curtains, get out in the sun, and go laugh and be with my friends which I could not do. I didn’t eat, shower and couldn’t perform my daily activities. Everyone told me to go talk to someone, but I couldn’t even do that with my overwhelming emotions all over the place and, like you, began experiencing panic attack after panic attack. I finally found a psychiatrist who could see me immediately and not 8 months from then that every doctor told me. I felt hopeless because I knew something was seriously wrong in my brain and no one would see me until I contacted a dear friend, a psychologist, who called a friend of his that was a psychiatrist and he saw me within 2 days! He literally saved my life, could tell me what I was thinking and trying to explain to others, but I didn’t know how to get them to understand. It was like he was reading my mind! He immediately told me we had to get the chemicals balanced, through medication, before I could talk to someone. Started me on a new medication and within 14 days I noticed I was a little better. Each day was a little better and then I felt like talking to him and he has helped me tremendously! Now, I go in and we make sure my meds are still working and then we talk for over an hour about anything and everything! I feel like I’m living again when, frankly, I’d given up! Mental illness is a fightening thing and is real! I love how now it’s not taboo to talk about as it used to be. So many suffer from this dibilitating disease that it’s more common than it used to be. It’s not anything to be be embarrassed about and the conversations about it are finally not a sign of weakness. I am thankful for being able to live again and enjoy life…something I thought I would never experience again. It’s a dark place to be and a place I never want to go again! So grateful to you for writing this blog and that Bettye led me to it! Thanks for sharing your story as a lot people can relate, especially me! Terilane

  3. heather says:

    Thank you for sharing you story honestly. It helps those who struggle feel less alone and helps them find hope. My story of depression and my panic attack is over at https://mycrazyfaith.blogspot.com and at https://lovehealme.blogspot.com. It’s my hope that others might find help in my story, too. Thanks again for sharing yours. And I’m sorry for what you are going through. It’s never easy, but thank God that the best is yet to come, eternally.

  4. Darlene L Fabert says:

    Thank you for sharing your story. I have been battling depression and anxiety for 17 years with little help from medication. I daily question Gods love for me. Today has been a really hard day.

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