The Beauty Battalion - Featuring Beauty In All Shapes & Sizes June 2017 | Page 20

Photo Credit:

Shaun Anders

those are the best times to learn about who you really are. After writing it for a few years and adding stories here and there, I let a friend read it, and the reaction was one that I didn’t expect. She said “I have a brother that acts just like this. Can you please talk to him and help him through his current struggle because I know you understand”. When I realized that I could share my experience with others and possibly help other people that live with mental illness, I knew this would be my path. I want to tell my goofy stories and share my many life experiences to those who want to hear them. I have found that I get asked by the spouses of someone with Bipolar more times than the person suffering from it. They want to know what they can do to help the person they love. I may not have all the answers, but I can shed light from a different perspective that I believe can help others. I want to bring awareness to mental disorders and and eliminate the “crazy” stereotype that’s associated. We are just like everyone else in most cases and strive to be happy like the rest of the world.

KJ: What advice do you give your kids when they are having a bad day? Is there anything else you would like to share?

JP: Advice on bad days go far beyond kids. I feel that the older we get, the bad days are harder to handle for most of us. Kids are pretty damn tough and resilient, too. We all have horrible days, but we also have incredible ones as well. If we can focus on the positive things that make us happy, then the challenges seem not so bad. The other thing that I have always told people is this… What life struggle did you have exactly one year ago? Was is consuming, overwhelming, and did you think that life couldn’t go on because your struggles were so intense? Now, think about today, one year later. Are those same struggles still the same fight for you? Most of the time, they are not! We find a way to overcome our current problems and then move onto the next. So, whatever struggle you are having right at this exact moment in life, please know that one year from now, it will be nothing. There is always light at the end of the tunnel as long as we believe there is. Adapt and Overcome!!!!

Website: www.JustinPeck.com

@JustinPeck49

#JustinPeck49

Follow the Author: Kimberly Jesika

Twitter: @Kimberlyjesicka

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