FEATURED HERO
David's Mental Health Hero Story
An inside look at my ten year battle with anxiety and why I started the iNO brand. I first started showing signs of anxiety in my first year of university, which is now almost a decade ago.
I remember waking up and feeling like I was losing control of nmy mind and felt the physical symptoms that often come along with it such as heart palpitations and sweating. At the time, i had no idea what I was experiencing was anxiety because it was something completely foreign to me.
It is not uncommon for students to have bouts of anxiety as that comes along with the stresses of scholastic performance and a change in an environment. But when anxiety becomes debilitating, changes your thought process and how you respond to those thoughts, chances are you’re battling something much greater.
ANOTHER AMAZING HERO
Justine's Mental Health Hero Story
From the moment Stu and I met; I knew we would be together forever. Our life together was filled with love and laughter…man was there laughter! Neither of us were perfect people, but we were perfect for each other and together we made a great team. Where I lacked, he excelled and vice versa. I never had to doubt how much I was loved when I was with him. I always knew in a way, but now truly know, I never fully appreciated the beautiful life we lived together. Everything he did, he did for his little family. Truly the most amazing husband and father, working so hard for us to have the best life possible. Unfortunately, our forever was stolen from us and ‘till death do us part’ came a lot sooner than it should have. My life will forever be divided into two parts: Before loss and After.
Share Your Story
Whether it is anxiety, trauma, grief, depression, or a mental cloudy day, everyone’s battle is different, and every story is important to be heard.
Or, maybe you’ve made it through your darkness and would like to share tips and tools that helped you on your journey to heal (yoga, running, a certain psychologist or group therapy, etc.).
These stories and tips will be shared on this website to help others know they are not alone, and show there are many ways to heal.
When submitting, please indicate if you would like your story to be anonymous. To those not ready to share, please know you are strong, you are brave and you are not alone.
My Journey
Rape. That four-letter word is like a rusty dagger thrust deep into my stomach. There are still some days it doesn’t feel real; it was late at night when I was approached by a stranger claiming to be an Uber driver. The cars were not marked yet and I trusted the service… I had no reason not to. Unfortunately, this person was not an Uber driver; I was assaulted, raped, violated, and to be honest, I thought I was going to be killed. I am extremely grateful to be alive.
Throughout my journey, I have experienced shock, panic attacks, and depression. I’ve spent time grieving and feeling embarrassed, lost and hopeless. I didn’t know when I would be ready to share my story; I kept telling myself I’ll wait until I am fully healed and then I can help others. However, the toughest lesson I have learned is there is no finish line. There is no date, length of time or playbook which says “okay, now you can feel whole again.”
The day I realized this was the day my hurt turned into heart, my pain into passion, and the dimmed light in my core sparked and ignited to begin my mission to help others. I truly believe life is not defined by what happens to you, it is defined by how you react to it.
To read more about my journey: CLICK HERE
My Journey
Rape. That four-letter word is like a rusty dagger thrust deep into my stomach. There are still some days it doesn’t feel real; it was late at night when I was approached by a stranger claiming to be an Uber driver. The cars were not marked yet and I trusted the service- I had no reason not to. Unfortunately, this person was not an Uber driver; I was assaulted, raped, violated, and to be honest, I thought I was going to be killed. I am extremely grateful to be alive.
Throughout my journey, I have experienced shock, panic attacks, and depression. I’ve spent time grieving and feeling embarrassed, lost and hopeless. I didn’t know when I would be ready to share my story; I kept telling myself I’ll wait until I am fully healed and then I can help others. However, the toughest lesson I have learned is there is no finish line. There is no date, length of time or playbook which says “okay, now you can feel whole again.”
The day I realized this was the day my hurt turned into heart, my pain into passion, and the dimmed light in my core sparked and ignited to begin my mission to help others. I truly believe life is not defined by what happens to you, it is defined by how you react to it.
To read more about my journey: CLICK HERE
Share Your Story
Whether it is anxiety, trauma, grief, depression, or a mental cloudy day, everyone’s battle is different, and every story is important to be heard.
Or, maybe you’ve made it through your darkness and would like to share tips and tools that helped you on your journey to heal (yoga, running, a certain psychologist or group therapy, etc.).
These stories and tips will help others know they are not alone, and show there are many ways to heal.
When submitting, please indicate if you would like your story to be anonymous. To those not ready to share, please know that you are strong, you are brave and you are not alone.