Hello there! Thank you for stopping by.

If this is your first time reading a Wednesdays with Whit column, a special welcome to you!

As you may have guessed, my name is Whit. I am studying mass media, and I am in my third year as a Washburn student. I am passionate about suicide prevention and spreading awareness about mental health through writing.

I collect Rubik’s Cubes, I thoroughly enjoy watching the Temple Grandin movie over and over, and I have a beloved cat named Mr. Rubik Cube Downing (RC for short).

This week, I wanted to talk a little bit about our thoughts and beliefs. You see, not everything that we think is true… sometimes our thoughts deceive us. When you are in or may be approaching a mental health crisis, logical and rational thinking are usually not present.

To me, this is why it is important to make a safety plan.

Part of what makes me so passionate about all things mental health is that I have experienced the emotional turmoil that often may come along with having a mental health condition. You see, I used to consistently be in-and-out of the inpatient psychiatric unit. It has now been over a year since I have been there, and I have been mentally stable for a while now. But, I won’t forget.

I will never forget.

The night terrors, the suicidal thoughts, the crying, cutting my arms, the hopelessness, and the despair that came along with those things.

I won’t forget because I know I could be back there again someday.

I won’t forget because I need to be able to remember what that was like, so that I can help to support others who may currently be in that deep and dark pit.

I need to remember where I once was so that I can remind myself that hope exists, and that whatever hard thing I may be going through can be conquered.

For me personally, I used to feel that everyone else would be better off without me. I thought suicide was some sort of inevitable fate that I just had to accept.

Believing that hurt.

But I won’t forget.

Now, I am sitting at my desk, in my own apartment, on my 25^th birthday, and writing a column for a job that I love. I have been out of the mental hospital for over a year, and if you had a chance to read the last Wednesdays with Whit, you may remember me saying that I have finally learned to love the woman that I’ve become.

Everyone has their own journey, though. This week, I shared a little bit of my journey with you in hopes that it’d help you understand that things aren’t always what they seem, and that hope, healing, and recovery are all possible for you.

Will you stick around to witness it for yourself?

You can defeat the odds that are against you.

Think about what you are thinking about.

If you need help with managing your emotions, if you feel hopeless about your future, or if you just need someone to process things with, I’d like to encourage you to seek therapy.

It can be extremely beneficial for you, but you’ll not know if you don’t try it out!

Thank you so much for participating in Wednesdays with Whit this week, and I hope that you come back next Wednesday.

Be well! 🙂