As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, The Bridge affirms our commitment to walking alongside youth in their healing journey. Youth receive holistic care ranging from onsite therapy, support groups, and community connections that make them feel safe, accepted, and supported.
Throughout this month, we’ve been engaging in conversations with youth about breaking down barriers around mental health. We are sharing our platform with youth as they reflect on their unique healing and mental health journeys. Read on to hear their stories and check back as we add more:
Will
Hi, my name is Will, and I use he/him and they/them pronouns.
It took until I was 18 years old to be diagnosed with depression, despite first experiencing symptoms 10 years prior and expressing to family members and doctors how I felt. I’d often be dismissed or told, “I was being dramatic.”
On top of these feelings, I was also wrestling with my queer identity and my growing dysphoria that only kept getting worse as I got older.
The Bridge for Youth was a beacon of hope for me as a struggling teen in the closet. Once I started attending So What If I Am, The Bridge’s LGBTQ+ support group, the facilitators gave me the resources and support I needed in both my queer journey and my mental health journey. I received resources on where I could start HRT (hormone replacement therapy), a list of top surgeons in MN, and trans-friendly therapists in the Twin Cities.
Teenage me finally had a place that wasn’t my room where I could express my true self and be honest about how I was feeling.
Jania
Hi, my name is Jania. I am 24 years old, and my pronouns are she/they.
I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) about 8 years ago. These diagnoses changed everything I thought about myself.
For the last 8 years, I have been going to therapy for my BPD. I have learned countless things while being in therapy thus far, and I will learn even more as I continue to be in therapy. I have grown from the person I was 8 years ago, from staying in the psych hospital to now being a nearly independent young adult.
Currently, I’m comfortable with my mental health. The Bridge for Youth has helped me so much on my journey. From access to therapists I can reach in a crisis, to the community that embraces the full, unfiltered me. Having people who support me has helped me through difficult times.
Healing for me means constantly working to fix myself. Healing is a continuous, slow process. Healing does not stop unless you choose for it to.
I want people to know that mental health disorders present differently in each person. Healing to improve your mental health is not a linear process, especially if you have one or more mental illnesses. And lastly, go at your own pace – it’s so important not to compare yourself to others.
Nova
My name is Nova, my pronouns are they/them, and on May 5th, 2024, my life changed forever.
It was a seemingly normal morning, until I rode an electric scooter into a pothole at full speed, flying off and rolling a few feet, breaking my femur and my knee in 7 places. I needed surgery to repair the broken bones, and I now live with 25 pieces of metal in my left leg.
Looking back on it now, 2 years later, I have a hard time putting together all the pieces of what happened that day and the next few weeks after. But that’s how trauma works. Your brain protects itself by shutting down and blocking out the traumatic thing you’re experiencing. And later, once you’re calmed down and trying to talk about what happened, you come up empty. All you can remember is that you were hurting, and you would’ve given anything to be out of that situation.
Of course, this isn’t the situation for everybody; it really does vary because everyone’s brains work in different ways. However, I couldn’t remember anything. I was running off pure adrenaline, my brain protecting me from feeling more pain on top of the physical pain I endured.
I remember the paramedics asking if they could go into my purse and get my ID so they could identify me. I hadn’t yet changed my name legally, so I was nervous about these types of encounters. But I told them that I’m transgender and I go by Nova, and they responded by asking what my pronouns were. The paramedics made sure to use my name and pronouns seamlessly, even in my moment of crisis.
During my recovery process, I had a lot on my mind. I had to pay so much attention to my physical health that my mental health declined.
Not being able to walk for over a month, losing all control of what you’re physically capable of, and needing assistance with everything really does take a toll on someone.
In addition to having to recover from my accident, I lost my job and gained a new disability: fibromyalgia. You can either be born with it, or adopt it after a severe injury – something I didn’t know until over a year after my accident.
Today, I’m managing as best as I can. I got a job that I’m really passionate about, and they’ve been wonderful with accommodating my disabilities. I’m still working on rebuilding my tolerance for walking longer distances and improving my balance.
The Bridge’s staff members have been an incredible support during this time, pushing me in my wheelchair, being a listening ear when I needed someone to talk to, and even helping me get into the BFY van during Pride events.
I’m so grateful for The Bridge and all of the various kinds of support they’ve provided me over the years.
An Anonymous Youth in Shelter
I am going to be real: Right now, I don’t feel my best. And that is okay.
Somedays I feel really overwhelmed being in shelter. But I know that there are people here to help me. Part of me actually feels happy knowing I have plans and goals to work toward. Having access to these resources is making my mental health more manageable.
Since coming to The Bridge, I try to keep my peace. Being here gives me a safe space. The staff are super nice and make life feel more normal while I go through hard transitions. Their support makes me less worried and more hopeful. I feel like my nervous system is calm.
I am learning coping skills and grounding techniques. When I feel overwhelmed, I am reminded to take walks and breathe. Surprisingly enough, cleaning my space helps me calm down. It helps declutter my mind.
Coming to The Bridge, my first goal was to be calm and confront the feeling of being overwhelmed. Now I feel like I can start to find the root of my problems. Maybe I can even heal.
I never really thought about what healing looks like before. Maybe it’s feeling at ease? Whatever it is, I know it takes time.
Mental health is serious and takes commitment. It is a lot easier when I have people hearing me out and supporting me.
I’ve learned that we are all stronger than we think. Having mental health issues doesn’t make you any less of a person. It’s important to talk about it and keep working. Thanks to the support at The Bridge, I know I have it in me to keep going.
