My little post-it note with me original reasons to not drink have now also become my reasons to keep working on improving my mental health.

This little post-it note holds a lot of power. https://imgur.com/a/pB86Cca It’s on my work desk and one of the few items I keep out in the open.

I am struggling hard with my mental health today. Why am I doing all this work with medication and lifestyle changes? The reasons I stopped drinking are also the reasons I keep fighting to improve my mental health. I stopped drinking because I thought it was causing my depression. It was contributing but not causing it. That was the BP2 that had been treated as standard depression for 10 years. If I was still drinking, I’m not sure I would have been able to figure that out.

At times like this, looking back at my 5-whys is super helpful. This is a journey. Sometimes it’s really hard, but it’s worth it.

To end on a happier note, my last “why” was authenticity. I used alcohol as a social crutch and really wanted to be able to just have fun being myself. Well last week, I went out dancing for the first time since I stopped drinking. At first I was hesitant but then I just leaned into it. OMG what a fucking blast!! That alone showed me I am on the right track!!

IWNDWYT