The Story of Johnathan Hansen's Mental Health

I'm sure it doesn't come as a shock to anyone that I've struggled with mental health for the majority of my life. I had seen more seizures at the age of four than most people see in their entire lives. Knowing that- It stands to reason that I experienced symptoms of a few different mental health disorders before I even knew what the words "Mental Health" meant.

I've spent a sizeable chunk of my life trying to discover how my mind operates. What I have boils down to three different areas: anxiety, depression, and complex PTSD. If my brain is having trouble processing a new piece of information it will automatically let one of these three areas take control.

Anxiety especially took over a huge chunk of my life. Growing up, I knew that my sister's life hung by a thread. I spent many sleepless nights stewing over whether or not my sister would live to see the morning.

Depression has been more of an issue since the passing of my sister. I don't have any regrets about the time I spent with her. More than anything, I wish she would've gotten the "normal" experiences that most people get. I know normal is relative, but I could've had an older sister who could help me navigate life more than I had.

The gist of why I tell my stories of anxiety and depression is to drive the point that I understand mental health issues. I've had days, weeks, even months straight where I haven't felt like anything would ever get better.

People always say that things get easier with time. In a way that is true, but it's not the full truth. The only way things actually get better is by realizing that we have one choice in life. The one choice we have is how we as people are going to react to the circumstances in our lives.