Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to write. It's been my passion for as long as I can remember. Writing helps me with so much. Whenever there is something going on, and it makes me upset, writing helps me. It soothes me and nurtures me in ways I can’t describe. There were so many topics I loved writing about. From becoming immortal to being reincarnated into a cat to living in outer space, my writing has let me go farther than I ever thought I could go.
And when I had the chance to write for my college’s Odyssey team, an online platform that lets people write about anything, I decided to send in a request to join. I figured to myself, that it would be a great way to get my voice out there. There is so much that I am invested in, that I am passionate about that I feel the need to write about it.
I decided to write for Odyssey because there is so much out there that I need to talk about. I am passionate about mental illnesses and mental health. I am passionate about feminism. I am passionate about physical health. I am passionate about eating disorders.
And sometimes my inner voice is screaming inside me to get all of this out. So I do.
My first article for Odyssey was about how my social anxiety disorder has affected my life. And to be honest, I never realized I had social anxiety until about recently. And it took me a long time to accept that I had anxiety. It took me a really long time to accept that I was mentally ill.
And writing about helped me accept that I am mentally ill. But I got so many positive response from my article. It collected to over one hundred shares on Facebook. My mom told me that a family friend who read my article had social anxiety as well and that she [our family friend] was so glad that she knew that I was going through the same thing as well and it made her feel less trapped knowing she wasn't the only one going through it.
I wanted to write for Odyssey so I can write about what I am going through and have other people relate to what I am going through. Writing helps me understand who I am inside and outside.
My second article I wrote, about my binge eating disorder, was the first time I ever decided to write about something so personal about myself. I was so nervous to publish the article. I wasn't sure what people's reactions where going to be. I was really happy when I got positive responses back as well.
Writing for Odyssey has helped in more ways than I could imagine. Not only am I on a team with other people who also amazing writers as well, but we work together to make our Odyssey team strong. I am so glad I decided to write for Odyssey because it has helped me. It has helped me accept who I am and know that I am not alone in this world.
