I love knowledge and random facts. I enjoy acquiring skills for my wellness toolbox from my work, from my therapist, and colleagues. If I just collect these things and stash them away, they are easily forgotten and not put to good use. What’s the point of having these things available if I don’t touch them when I’m having a rough time?

It’s one thing for me to be a forever student, mastering new ways of recovery. It’s another to use those ways and to share them with others. I know how to manage anxiety. I know what I need to avoid and do to maintain wellness. Knowledge without application only gets me so far in my recovery journey.

It’s important for me to regularly reference and use the skills I’ve learned when the going gets tough. Anxiety gremlins can easily pull me back under, and my “vast knowledge” won’t be good enough armor without putting it to use.

Put your armor on, have your sword ready, and be ready to use them.

Kristen Ellis

Kristen has worked in the mental health field since 2013, with a focus on crisis work, substance use services, and bringing a voice to lived experience. Her ambition is to change the way mental health care and recovery is seen and achieved, so to redefine what it means to defeat adversity.