This week for #freeyourmindfriday, Olivia Drapeau, who lives with chronic endometriosis, depression, and anxiety, took over our Instagram stories to talk about mental health + healing. Check out her bio below!
My name is Olivia Drapeau. I am 23 and have been diagnosed with chronic endometriosis, depression, and anxiety. Growing up, despite having my entire childhood living in a broken home, I was the most happy-go-lucky kid you would ever meet. I was the child who befriended the “odd” kid that the other kids laughed at. I remember being in grade school and looking forward to picking a classmate to help pass my birthday treats out with. I always picked the classmate who was never picked. I was the kid who protected the ant hills at recess and if anyone dared to purposely hurt an ant, I would cry. My childhood was full of big emotions. I faced many challenges that no child should have to face, but at the time, I was blinded by the way I saw life from a child’s perspective. I didn’t know what actually happened to me and what was to come.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I almost lost my life several times. I hurt myself, blamed myself, and stopped seeing life through the lenses of that little girl who no longer was. Eventually, I found my passion for yoga and meditation. Once being diagnosed with endometriosis, my world flipped upside down yet again. I have slowly been putting myself back together again by holding my passion close to me and not daring to let go.
I picked myself up and put myself back together countless times and I’m still so young. I’m grateful that mental health is now finally being discussed publicly. I vowed to myself that I would do everything in my power to help kids like me, who had those big emotions and didn’t know how to express them. Being able to understand emotions as a child and being able to talk about them, is vital in the development of our brains. We need to talk about our big feelings; as children, teenagers, and adults.
Yoga and mindful living approaches are what saved me. I found an outlet where I could learn about myself and feel everything I needed to feel; on the mat. I’m only just getting started, but I’ve taken many steps in moving towards helping kids just like me; through yoga, mindfulness, and meditation.