What a year to be a mental health blogger! It’s safe to say we’re all a bit tired and weary. Challenges aside, 2022 was also the year I added a few extra titles to my blogger title: I’m now a business owner, workshop facilitator and speaker! With 2022 coming to an end, I wanted to share a recap of the year, including some of my favourite projects, blog posts and events.
I also want to show the not-so-glamorous side. This time of year is when we see so many highlight reels. Trips abroad, new babies, wild nights out, gruelling hiking adventures and other impressive feats. There aren’t too many 2022 recaps that include struggles or behind-the-scene challenges.
I won’t sugarcoat it. The stress of running a new small business can be a lot. Especially when the business revolves around mental health — in particular, your own personal story with a serious mental illness. At times, I felt like I wasn’t the right person to speak about eating disorder recovery or that I didn’t have the bandwidth to pursue this type of emotional labour.
At the end of the day (or should I say, year?), I started this blog and grew it into a bigger business for a purpose: to destigmatize eating disorders, create community and share recovery stories in a responsible manner. So even if there are some awkward, uncomfortable bits along the way, it is always worth it.
