Over 6 months ago, I had the unique opportunity to join Ashley Sargeant (founder of the ‘Don’t Stop Sargeant’ movement) in her incredible #iamstigmafree campaign. There were 17 of us women who were interviewed about our stories battling mental illness as well as got to help create an inspiring music video to Rachel Platten’s ‘Fight Song’. The purpose of this was to give hope to other fighters, as well as come together to strengthen one another. It was such a rich experience and I will continue to cherish the friendships I made that day.

My Story

When I was 12 years old, I experienced something no child should have to face. One December evening, while my parents were away on a date, I found my older brother, dead, from a gun accident. As you can imagine, this was a very traumatic experience for me and my little brother, who was there right beside me when I found him. I spent years trying to overcome the view of what I had seen, years trying to mend the aching whole in my heart. I saw counselors, so many counselors. I participated in grieving groups at my schools. Many were helpful in helping me to learn life coping skills.

Overtime things got easier but as I got older, I found myself dealing with feeling really low and lots of anxious feelings.. It was the most serious when I was living abroad (in Taiwan) serving a mission for my church. I loved my mission and really wanted to be a good missionary, but it became harder and harder to focus as I experienced more and more depression. It became evident that I needed more support, so I started talking to a counselor every week. Even still my mission president brought up the discussion about whether or not it would be good for me to go home early. That was the LAST thing I wanted.

I had always believed in taking care of myself and my health naturally but didn’t have experience doing anything for my emotional stability. At the time, I was paired with a companion who was familiar with essential oils. Together we found a Taiwanese lady who sold essential oils and I was able to start using them. I liked them immediately, and within a few days of using them, I could feel a difference in my mood and ability to stay focused on my work. I was able to use the oils, a long with talking to my counselor and my gospel study to really help manage my emotions and be able to serve out my entire mission. Returning home, I felt so blessed to have found something natural that could support me!

I continued to use the oils and started to really dive into more information about the link between nutrition and mood. It has been so empowering to educate myself in real things that can support me. I became passionate about putting good things inside our bodies. Pure oils, a lot of water and good nutrition can do SO much for the mind and body.

This was just the beginning of my journey!  I started to really pay attention to what kinds of activities uplift me and how I respond to certain things. I learned that going to bed early and waking up early empowered me to wake up feeling well. Starting my day with oils, yoga (or some type of movement or exercise), meditation/prayer, and studying scriptures and/or a good personal development book gave me power and purpose at the beginning of my day to motivate me throughout the rest of my day.

Really being aware of myself, taking good care of myself and taking control of my lifestyle has improved my life so much! I feel so much more empowered as a whole. Now, as I feel myself starting to sink lower, I know what tools I can use to support myself. Many times I can catch it before I become too low or too sad.

I have found that one of the most important pieces to breaking the stigma of mental illness and breaking the hold that it has on you is the willingness to be absolutely vulnerable. Sharing your story and talking about it with people. Having natural tools to manage my emotions has made me so passionate about sharing them with others. I love encouraging others to take care of themselves and I do that by first being willing to share my story with others..  to share my experiences, the hard and the beautiful. I now, successfully teach classes about natural wellness and essential oils to people all over the world and have seen so many people find more hope and empowerment.

If you or someone you know is dealing with depression or any type of emotional struggle, please know that there is hope. There are things you can do to support yourself naturally! To feel better, to feel vibrant again. Talk about what you are going through and reach out for help. Email me and reach out! I would love to help you on your journey!

The day of the filming for the music video, we spent a lot of time practicing the dancing for the music video, getting to know each other, reflecting and preparing ourselves for a photoshoot each of us got to do. During some of the down time, I had the special opportunity to teach everyone about the powerful benefits of essential oils and how they can support our emotional health. Essential oils are one of the main ways I have managed my emotions and I love sharing them with others. Ashley Sargeant and I put together a key chain of emotions oils for each of the women as gifts. It was so fun to see how excited everyone was to get their key chain of oils.

Below is the AMAZING music video! I am SO thankful I was able to be a part of this!!

Watch and enjoy!! I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. 🙂

Read Ashley Sargeant’s story behind the #iamstigmafree campaign at her Don’t Stop Sargeant Website here:
https://dontstopsargeant.com/2015/10/31/the-story-behind-iamstigmafree/

You can also see my #iamstigmafree photo shoot and video at the Don’t Stop Sargeant Website here:
https://dontstopsargeant.com/2015/10/28/iamstigmafree-seantay-halls-story/

Go to the Don’t Stop Sargeant’s Youtube channel to find all 17 women fighters and their beautifully inspiring stories!