Living with mental illness feels like duking it out with your brain on a daily basis. You can’t run from your brain; wherever you go, the intrusive, disturbing thoughts follow. The only solace comes when you go to sleep at night, and even then, quieting your mind enough to actually fall asleep presents a challenge in itself.
Due to her own personal struggle with depression and ADHD, Holly Chisholm decided to create comics about mental illness. Called Just Peachy, her comics cover topics such as self-reflection, anxiety, and depression. After six months of creating the comics, Holly quit her job and committed to freelancing part-time so she could dedicate more time to her comics.
“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost
Here is some of her work that shows what living with mental illness is like:
1. For someone with a mental illness, the little things in life really keep them going.
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2. “I feel like I’m super-glued to my bed; please send help.”
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3. The best way to manage mental illness is to take care of yourself first.
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4. People with depression aren’t lazy; their mental illness just takes all their motivation away.
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5. Even if you take care of yourself, mental illness can find a space in your mind to call home.
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6. Unfortunately, sticking to the preferred plan in life doesn’t promise happiness as an end result.
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7. People with mental illness have a hard time completing tasks, but then feel defeated and worthless when they can’t meet society’s standards.
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8. Sometimes, depression means lying in bed all day crying for no reason.
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9. Anxiety can make it hard to turn your brain off at night.
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10. People with mental illness have a tendency to be hard on themselves, but any progress is better than none.
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Do you relate to these comics about what it’s like living with mental illness? If so, please share with your friends and family. Remember, even though it’s a daily battle, you don’t have to fight it alone.