Hi! My name is Danielle but everyone calls me D. This blog is about my journey to help end the stigma around mental health. It started off as a journey to lose weight and live a healthier life with a mental illness but has really turned into my way to help change the dialogue around mental health issues. I want to use this page to introduce to you to 3 very important people.
I am 34 years old and have been married to my best friend J for 9 years and together for 15. We met in college/university where I majored in communication and journalism and he majored in electrical engineering.
We’ve been blessed with two beautiful boys, O (7) and H (5). They are the light of my life and a huge motivation to changing the dialogue on mental health. I want them to grow up in a world where we aren’t defined by our mental illnesses. (I’ve decided to keep from using their full names for privacy reasons.)
We live in a small Canadian town of approximately 4,000 people and are the ultimate definition of homebodies. Our happiest place is hanging out with our boys at home and just spending time together as a family.
My husband is my absolute rock. In our 15 years together, I’ve really only let him in (like really in) on my mental health struggles over the past two. And I’m so happy I did. After all, he’s the one person who gets me the most. He sees me at my best and at my absolute worst. And he loves me all the same.
Seven years into parenthood with two very active boys, our relationship has definitely changed. Making time for one another is hard but we do our best to connect and I let him know what’s going on with me and what support I need from him.
This blue eyed boy made me a mama. In only 7 years he has taught me some of life’s most important lessons. Lessons in love. Lessons in patience. Lessons in sacrifice and compromise. Most importantly he’s taught me that every moment of every day is worth living. That everything is beautiful and new and exciting through the eyes of a child. These were things I couldn’t have known if I hadn’t weathered such a storm during O’s first year of life. You can read more about that in my post, The Darkest Days. He is smart, silly, funny, thoughtful, stubborn, empathetic, loving and kind. He is my first-born and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Last but not least is my little (big) boss. Just when I thought my heart was full, in he came bursting it wide open. He completed our family. A mini daddy, H is the best mix of sweet and saucy. Watching him idolize his big brother has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. A Scorpio like his mama, I know I’m in for a wild ride and I can’t wait to continue watching his cuddly & feisty little personality grow.
So that’s me (+3). When I’m not blogging or hanging with my family I spend my days working at an amazing e-commerce company. I’m blessed to have an amazing group of friends, new and old. Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety and depression, and was recently diagnosed with bipolar type 2 with mixed features and borderline personality disorder.
And that’s about it. My purpose for this blog is simple – to help normalize the conversation around mental health. I swear too much. I digress a lot. And I’m not afraid to keep sh*t real. Life is short and we might as well live it to the fullest – good and bad.
Thanks for reading! ❤
D
Too Much to Lose 