Uncategorized – Life with Charli

Body and Mind

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! I’m so sorry I’ve been away for a while! Life definitely has a way of keeping us busy! However, I made sure to have some down time too. For a long time now, I’ve been talking a lot about my mental health. For those who are new to my blog, I suffer from depression. It took a long time for me to start seeing a therapist and even longer for me to start psychiatric medication. I didn’t want to admit that I had a mental illness, but I was in desperate need of help. My mental health was so bad that medical staff asked if I would like to be hospitalized during my consultation to start therapy. I declined hospitalization. The staff respected my decision, but connected me with a therapist and psychiatrist right away. I started seeing a therapist every week and a psychiatrist every month. I was given the contact information for my mental health team and the Suicide Prevention Hotline, all of which I used frequently. I’m very grateful for the efforts of my mental health team, and I’m happy to share that I’m seeing a therapist and psychiatrist once a month now. I’m to the point where I can’t fully remember the last time I had a depressive episode or contacted the suicide prevention hotline. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.

My improved mental health has had a wonderful impact on my everyday life, particularly my social life. I’ve always had a very close relationship with my family, but now I’ve become even closer with them since my mental health started improving. I used keep to myself and avoid family gatherings, feeling my presence wasn’t wanted or a burden. I know better now, and know how much I’m loved. I regret missing out on so many moments with my family. I don’t take spending time with them for granted anymore, and treasure each moment. Last summer, I went to a barbecue where I had lots of fun, and in the Fall we went to a farm. We took so many pictures at the farm and picked lots of apples. Just last week, one of my siblings and I went to a cafe. We made ourselves comfortable and bonded over a yummy donut and delicious coffee. We also bonded on our walk to and from the cafe. My depression made me feel isolated, and if I was still struggling, I would have missed out on building precious memories with my family.

Now that my mental health is looking good, I’ve been trying to get my physical health in order as well. Mental and physical health compliment each other after all. I want to look as good as I feel. I’ve started gaining a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Late last year, my father and I agreed to start putting some exercise into our schedules for the new year. We’ve been keeping our promise to each other so far, but it definitely hasn’t been easy. Not only has exercising been helping with my physical health, it has helped with my already close relationship with my Dad. Exercising together has brought us even closer.

The start of my mental health journey was definitely a turning point for me. I have changed for the better. During a conversation with my pastor at church recently, he asked if there was a period in my life I would return to. I answered there is no time in my life I would return to. “I’m happy with the life I have now” I said. For once, I really meant it.

Invisible Disability: Guest Post

by: Laiba Noor

picture taken from Pexels

Not all disabilities are visible. Not all pain wears a cast or walks with a cane. Some battles are fought behind smiles, quiet moments, and struggles that are not spoken about. These are what we call invisible disabilities, conditions that don’t have obvious physical signs but still significantly impact a person’s daily life.

I didn’t always understand what “invisible disability” meant. I used to think that disability came with a wheelchair, a walking aid, or some visible indication. However, life has a way of teaching you things that books or preconceived notions can’t. Living with “What Others Can’t See”.

Whether it’s chronic pain, mental illness, fibromyalgia, autism, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, or neurological disorders, these conditions are often misunderstood or even doubted. You look “fine.” You chuckle. You show up. So people think you’re okay.But deep inside, there’s a constant balancing act. You calculate every move: Can I do this today? Will this drain me? What if I can’t make it through?

I remember days when just getting out of bed felt like moving a mountain. Smiling felt like a lie. While I stood still and tried to catch my breath, the world moved quickly and loudly on. Yet, individuals would comment, “You don’t look sick.” Those words cut deeper than they knew.

The Weight of Invisibility

The hardest part of living with an invisible disability isn’t always the symptoms, it’s the invisibility itself.The doubt. The verdict. The subtle eye-rolls when you cancel plans again. The coworkers who whisper, “She’s just lazy.” The guilt you feel for not being enough, for needing rest, for having limits.

And sometimes, you begin to question yourself. Is it really that bad? Is this just my overreaction? Maybe I should try harder…

But no. You are not overreacting. You are surviving.And that is more than enough.

Raising Awareness, Not Pity

This blog post is not intended to be supportive. It’s written for awareness. To tell someone out there: You are seen, you are valid and you are not alone.

Invisible disabilities affect millions. And yet, so many suffer in silence, afraid to speak up or explain themselves. The world must be aware that disability is not always obvious. That someone can look okay and still be battling every single second.

So let’s stop saying “But you don’t look sick.” Let’s start saying, “I believe you, I’m here for you.”

Supporting Someone with an Invisible Disability

Here’s how you can help:

Believe them, even if you are unable to comprehend their experience. Keep waiting. Flare-ups and bad days come without warning.

Don’t judge. Rest isn’t laziness. Canceling plans isn’t personal.

Educate yourself. Learn about lupus, endometriosis, PTSD, ADHD, and other conditions. Offer kindness. It costs nothing but means everything.

Living with a disability that goes unnoticed is a journey of strength, bravery, and quiet resilience. The fact that it isn’t obvious to the outside world doesn’t make it less real. If you’re someone living with one, I see you. Keep going, even if all you did today was breathe and try. That’s enough.

And if you know someone facing this quiet battle, be the person who listens, supports, and never doubts what can’t be seen.

Meet the Author

This beautiful piece was written by Laiba Noor. Laiba is a hardworking Content Creator, Social Media Manager and Influencer Marketer who lives in Pakistan. If you enjoyed this post and would like to work with Laiba, you can reach her on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Teaching: A Very Special Profession

Daily writing prompt

What makes a teacher great?

View all responses

picture taken from Unsplash

“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” – Karl Menninger

What makes a teacher great is compassion and the ability to connect with one’s students.

I have talked several times about amazing teachers on my blog. I have also talked several times about being a person with a disability. My disability made going through school difficult. Despite my struggles through school, I have a college degree, and I managed to graduate college with honors. I wouldn’t have been successful without the help of wonderful and compassionate educators. One such educator was one of my college professors, who I will call Prof. A.

Since I was a student with a disability, I received accommodations. One accommodation I received was extra time on exams. Also, I took my exams in a separate location from my classmates to lower distractions, usually in a room at the office for students with disabilities. During one exam for Prof. A, I was unable to finish the test, even with the extra time. Prof. A took the time to check on me while I was taking the exam. When she found out I wasn’t finished with the test when time was up, she told me not to worry. She took me to her office and had me continue the test there. Before she took me to her office to finish the exam though, she took me to the cafeteria to eat, knowing that I had been working on the test for hours.

In that moment, Prof. A showed me what it really means to be an educator. She showed me that teaching includes more than the ability to pass on information in a digestible way. Teaching also comes with a heart ready to love and understand. This is a what makes a great teacher.

Fighting Mental Illness Stigma: Still Further to Go

Picture taken From Unsplas

I recently read in the news that a television personality named John Brenkus passed away by suicide on May 31st of this year. He was 54 years old. He was a well known figure in the sports world. I have talked about my journey with mental illness many times on here on my blog. One of the hardest but best decisions I’ve ever made was seeking help. I have been suffering from mental illness from the time I was a child. Stigma kept me from reaching out for help for a very long time. As I read through the comments on the article about John Brenkus’s passing, I realized that even though we have come a long way with fighting stigma on mental illness we still have a long way to go.

Many of the comments fit into two groups. The first group are those who downplayed the seriousness depression, such as the examples below:

The second was those who thought suicide is a cowardly or selfish act, such as those below:

However, I did find comments that showed understanding and compassion:

Depression is a serious mental illness, and someone who loses his or her battle with the illness was not weak or a coward. As someone who is dealing with depression myself, I can say it is not an easy condition to live with, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It’s hard to understand unless one is actually dealing with the illness his or herself, but compassion is not hard. I have had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people online during my time as a blogger, but it is the truth that the internet can also bring out the ugly side side of humanity. The way to fight to fight the stigma of mental illness is through compassion. Compassion leads us to seeing each other as fellow human being worthy of love and understanding. So let’s try to be more loving and compassionate.

For those of you who are struggling with mental illness, please reach out for help if you have not done so already. If you are or someone you know is ever in a crisis, please reach out to your country’s crisis hotline. The hotline in the United States, where I, live is 988.

Thankyou for reading, and I’ll see guys in the next post!

Anyone needs children’s books or toys?

My last post was a guest post by fellow blogger Antoinette [aka Tonie] Tardive Bryant from Learn and Laugh with Tonie. She is a former teacher and is dedicated to the education of young children. She is working on selling some children’s books and toys with a company called Paper Pie. There is a nice selection of books and toys for children of various ages. If you have children and you are interested in purchasing a book or toy, click this link: https://b8486.paperpie.com/shop. And please comment below if you purchase anything!