After a wave of exams, tests, and scans attempting to find a conclusion to my seemingly random blackouts and horrible short term memory, I finally had answers after sixteen years in the dark. In November of 2016, I was diagnosed with extremely severe ADD/ADHD. Prior to my diagnosis, frustration was word I would have used to describe my life. It was as though no matter what I tried, I couldn’t seem to keep a thought in my head for longer than a few seconds. This greatly affected my relationships with the people in my life. If anyone would interrupt me, I would be literally enraged because once my brain let go of what I was saying, it was gone and it wasn’t coming back. My quality of life was dissolving and so was my overall mental health.
At the time, the United States elections were of great interest to me. As a passionate advocate, I had things I wanted to say about how Trump was mistreating, degrading, and insulting a multitude of demographics and why I disagreed with his election into office. However, the thing about debates is that the constant back and forth, talking over each other, and the interrupting made it impossible for me to get my point across. I needed to find a way to combat my disability and make my voice heard. So I started to write.
I had recently gone to a leadership conference in Washington D.C. where I got the chance to talk with some powerful, female bloggers about their experience producing content and spreading their truth. Was writing the answer to my problems? Being so inspired, the first thing I did was open wordpress and start my blog. Nearly a year ago, Beat Bias with Bekah was born.
It was as if a thousand doors had been opened up to me. I suddenly felt as if I was no longer being silenced by my own brain. Through the months, I began interviewing all sorts of different people with all sorts of different experiences to begin a collective of the human experience on my site. If anyone had a story, I wanted to hear it. Giving others a voice has always been a part of my mission; because for the longest time I felt as though I didn’t have one myself. Writing gave me a voice, and I want my voice to give others a voice too. Paying it forward has always been my goal.
A year later, I can’t help but reflect on what my writing has done for me. I started writing for Affinity, and my work has been published on other sites such as MissHeard Media. I can hardly remember the time when my disability made me feel weak. Through writing, I feel empowered and ready to take on anything.
Are you ready to have your voice heard?
photo credit: pexels.com
