‘Turning the tide’ Guest Post by Ruth Anderson

Your Story is a series by WonderfulWomen where you will read inspiring Guest Posts from women around the world. Here they share their experiences, stories and things that matter most to all women.

Today’s guest post is by Ruth Anderson from ruthinrevolt.com. After being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, Ruth wanted to turn her situation into something positive so she created her blog, Ruth In Revolt. Ruth is sharing here her story, in hopes of helping others to do the same.

Turning the tide

A couple of months ago, I was in a bad place. I took a trip to the doctor, cried about how I felt and, predictably, came out with a prescription for anti-depressants and the details for some counselling services.

I began taking the medication. Thankfully, I avoided most of the side effects and within a few weeks, they had started to work. By this time, I had left a job I wasn’t enjoying and beginning to wonder what I was going to do. The panic of being unemployed without a plan had started to set in. I knew I didn’t want to return to retail, but I had no idea what the next step should be.

Try as I might, I couldn’t escape a memory which was playing on loop in my head. The memory in question is when I saw my English teacher, many years after leaving school, and she told me to write a book. She had expressed her fondness for my writing and assured me I had a natural talent which I should utilise.

After some deliberation, I decided a book seemed out of reach at that moment in time, but I thought a blog might settle the desire inside me to write. So, despite feeling terrified at the prospect of finally sharing my words with the world, I launched my blog.

I was nervous no one would read, or that they would, and they would hate it. There was, however, something inside me telling me to try anyway. As the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

When I told people close to me what I was doing, the reaction was always along the lines of “what took you so long?” It seems everyone else could see a talent which I couldn’t see. I am notorious for being my own harshest critic, and this was no exception!

I pushed myself. I fought against the voices in my head telling me I shouldn’t do it. I put myself out there in ways I never would have imagined doing before.I worked hard on it every day. My hours were filled with promoting it on social media, constantly assessing it in search of improvements and planning new posts.

It sparked something in me which I hadn’t experienced before. It gave me a sense of purpose, drive and determination. Having possessed a lifelong love of writing, but missing the courage to pursue it, it was as though everything was falling into place.

The more I interacted with other bloggers, the more I discovered there was something else inside me: a need to make other people feel good. I’ve always been a caring person, but I found myself tirelessly cheering other people on. If I noticed someone was struggling, I’d reach out and see how I could help. I loved it.

While my blog started as an outlet for me, I feel it is slowly developing into a place where I am trying to help others as much as myself. More often than not, I write with the purpose of helping others, whether that’s by opening the discussion about mental health, or sharing my best blogging tips.

I’ve come a long way in a short time. I’m now filled with hope, enthusiasm and joy about my future. There are so many ideas in my head for the future of my blog, and I can’t wait to watch it grow. Who knows – maybe I will finally write that book eventually! What I do know is this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t asked for help with my mental health.

My Message to All Wonderful Women

Depression and anxiety can mask a world of possibilities which are living inside you, so if you’re struggling, I’d encourage you to ask for help and see what you discover.

Connect with Ruth

Her Blog www.ruthinrevolt.com

Instagram www.instagram.com/ruthinrevolt