11/28/2025
Hey everyone - both my Terra Nova Canines clients and our wider community. 🩷
I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not to share this. Mental health isn’t easy to talk about, especially publicly. But honesty matters, and if even one person feels seen, less alone, or more easily able to get help - then the vulnerability is worth it.
So here it goes.
Over the past number of years - especially this last one - I’ve been navigating some significant mental health challenges.
I have several medical diagnoses (including a new one) that have allowed me to put words to things I’ve struggled with for a very long time:
🔸Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
🔸Social Anxiety Disorder
🔸Major Depressive Disorder
🔸ADHD
🔸Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - This is new.
None of these labels define me - but they help explain experiences I didn’t always have language for. And while names don’t fix everything, understanding what’s happening inside my brain has given me a path to find the right support for these co-occurring disorders.
🔷 How These Affect Me
I want to share what these can look like for me, because mental health isn’t “one size fits all.” Two people can share the same diagnosis and have completely different lived realities because there are so many factors that influence how these disorders may present for a person. And this isn't an exhaustive list - just some examples of what I experience daily.
🔸GAD & Social Anxiety
For me, anxiety isn’t just nervousness - it’s constant worry loops, physical tension, and a brain that feels like it never quiets down and is always planning for the worst. Social anxiety means I replay conversations over and over, worrying I said the wrong thing or was misunderstood. Even simple interactions can feel overwhelming and social interaction is exhausting.
🔸Major Depressive Disorder
Depression isn’t just sadness. It can be numbness, difficulty starting even small tasks, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness and feeling emotionally disconnected from things I love. Some days are fine. Some days are heavy. Episodes can creep up on me and can be dormant for months or years before resurfacing.
🔸ADHD
My ADHD impacts focus, motivation, memory, and how my brain prioritizes things. It’s not about laziness - it’s about executive function being wired differently. Some days I am laser-focused and unstoppable. Other days, even responding to a message takes immense effort. And these struggles with executive function become worse when dealing with increased anxiety, depression, stress or overwhelm.
🔸Borderline Personality Disorder
This one is brand new to me, and I’m still learning. For me, BPD affects emotional regulation, self-worth, stress responses, and relationships - especially during high-pressure or triggering situations. It can mean emotions feel bigger, faster, and harder to sort through.
Again - these are SOME of my experiences, not everyone’s. These all co-exist inside of me. Some take on a more leading role than others but even that can change from day to day.
If that seems like A LOT - It's because it truly is. And managing it all is complex. Especially when these unique challenges combine in ways that you can't always predict, expect or recognize initially.
🔷 What I’m Doing to Heal
I’m not sharing this to say “look how hard things are.” I’m sharing this because I’m working on it - intentionally and consistently.
Right now, my mental health care includes:
✔️ Regular appointments with my GP
✔️ Working with an experienced psychiatrist
✔️ Weekly therapy sessions
✔️ Learning skills and tools through DBT, CBT, and other therapeutic approaches
✔️ Medication support tailored to my diagnoses
✔️ A strong support system that I can reach out to in times of need
✔️ Actively working on self-regulation, boundaries, and pacing myself
Healing isn’t linear - some days are progress, some days are setbacks - but I’m invested in becoming healthier, stronger, and kinder to myself.
This kind of healing and work takes time. I can't just take an antibiotic and be better in a week. Increasing medications, adding medications, seeing results of targeted therapies - this takes months, if not years. And it will be something that I will need to continue to monitor for the rest of my life.
🔷 Why I’m Sharing This
Because mental health struggles often happen in silence.
Because people can look “fine” and still be fighting battles internally.
Because it’s okay to need support - even when it's SO hard to ask for it.
Because stigma only exists when we don’t talk.
And because if you’ve ever struggled with your mental health - whether diagnosed or not - you deserve compassion, understanding, and the reminder that your experience is valid.
We live in a world that 'accepts' and has made accommodations for physical disabilities but has not yet caught up the same way when it comes to mental disabilities.
Did you know that even with official diagnoses from specialists, the desperately needed therapies to manages these struggles are not covered under our healthcare? They must be paid for out of pocket, making treatment inaccessible to so many.
🔷 To My Clients & Community
Thank you - truly - for your patience, kindness, and continued support.
Running Terra Nova Canines means so much to me. The dogs, the humans, the connections - they’re part of my purpose. I’m learning, growing, and doing the best I can - and I appreciate those who stand with me while I figure it all out.
So if I ever seem quieter one week, slower to respond, or if I need to set boundaries or adjust workload - please know it isn’t lack of care. It’s me building sustainability and trying to show up in a healthier, more stable way.
If you're struggling too, please know:
💛 You’re not weak.
💛 You’re not broken.
💛 You’re not alone.
And if you love someone who struggles: kindness, patience, and curiosity go further than you may ever realize 🐾✨
