Hi!  My name is Elizabeth and I am thrilled to have the privilege to contribute to this wonderful blog. As Crystal mentioned in her last post, we met at a woman’s group which I lovingly refer to as “Coffee Group.”  It’s just a small group of real women gathering together a few nights a month to drink coffee and chat about life. I am not one to hold back details about my personal life and most people probably think I overshare, so surprisingly I hadn’t shared much at Coffee Group about my mental illness.  In fact, aside from brief comments here and there, I hadn’t really talked about it with anyone for a long time.  My psychiatry check-ups had been reduced down to 20 minutes two times a year.  I had been managing it well for several years and feeling back to myself, so why talk about it? Following my hospitalization and diagnoses of Bipolar I in 2011, I had a strong desire to connect with others that had similar experiences.  After taking part in group therapy, I tried out a depression and bipolar support group in the Minneapolis area.  While it was comforting to hear from others going through similar struggles, it didn’t feel quite right for me and I only attended a handful of times. I later attended a mental health conference in Miami with my sister and was inspired to start a local support group, and took several steps in that direction, but never saw it through.  I always chalked it up to being too busy at work or at home, when in reality it was my fear of putting myself out there and lack of confidence as a leader that kept me from pursuing it. During one Coffee Group last year we were discussing how we can use our God-given gifts to serve others.  We were going around the table each sharing something meaningful to us – working with children, instructing yoga, and dog therapy were among some of the ideas these beautiful women were passionate about.  When it was my turn, I nervously explained that I wanted to start a mental health support group, and also shared some of my fears surrounding it.  The outpouring of encouragement from the other women was amazing, but I still had that nagging, negative “You can’t do it” thought stuck in my head. After our group ended, Crystal approached me.  We talked for a moment about our shared experience living with mental illness and then she said it…she would be willing to co-lead a support group with me.  I was speechless (that takes a lot!) and beyond excited.  The thought of leading was a scary thing for me and now that huge barrier was removed by someone I had just met.  I told her I would love that and we agreed to talk again soon. I am so thankful that I decided to talk about my experience and my vision that night and even more thankful that Crystal decided to reach out to me.  Our friendship began that day, and I am very proud to say our journey as co-leaders of an official mental health support group commenced in March of this year.  We are just getting started in our shared goal of raising mental health awareness and breaking the stigma surrounding it. The process will look a little different for each of us, but there is true peace and healing in finding your tribe, your community, your support.  Whether it be through family, friends, church, a local support group, an online blog, or a combination of these things, please know you are not alone and you don’t have to let your mental illness define you or your life. We hope you will join us on this journey and invite others too – the bigger the circle, the bigger the impact.  If you or someone you know is living with a mental illness and would like more information about finding a local support group, please reach out to us. Author Elizabeth