Help Veronica raise money

For the last eight years, I’ve been living with anxiety and depression, and for a long time, I didn’t really know how to talk about it.

Mental health struggles aren’t always obvious. I’ve had days where I’ve smiled, gone to work, talked to people, and carried on like everything was completely fine, while internally I was struggling just to get through the day. I’ve experienced the constant overthinking, the anxiety that makes even small things feel overwhelming, the exhaustion that comes with fighting your own mind, and the days where finding the motivation to get out of bed felt like an accomplishment in itself.

There have been times when I’ve felt like I was a burden, like I should be able to handle things on my own, or like nobody could possibly understand what was happening inside my head. I’ve had really dark moments, and I’ve also had moments where I genuinely wondered if things would ever feel easier.

But they did.

Not all at once, and not without setbacks. There are still difficult days. But I’ve learned that struggling with your mental health doesn’t mean you’re broken. It doesn’t make you weak. And you don’t have to go through it alone.

That is why Run for Rachel is so personal to me. I know what it feels like to struggle silently, and I know how important it is for people to have somewhere to turn when they feel like they have nowhere else to go. Mental health support and suicide prevention can quite literally save lives.

I’m running because I want to be part of creating a world where talking about mental health isn’t uncomfortable or shameful. Where asking for help is met with compassion instead of judgment. Where someone who is struggling knows that their life matters, even when they can’t see that for themselves.

I’m running for the version of myself who spent years struggling in silence. I’m running for everyone who is currently fighting a battle that nobody else can see. And I’m running for the people we’ve lost far too soon.

If you’re struggling right now, I hope you know this: you are not a burden, you are not alone, and your story is not over.

I’m sharing mine because I’m still here.