When Aleeza was nine years old, she was first diagnosed with mental health challenges. However, “Things got really bad when I was 13.” she recalls. It was then that she sought help. “I realised I couldn’t heal myself on my own.”
For Aleeza, she says the biggest impact on her journey has been, “Being kind to myself and treating myself like someone I love.” Through her journey, something positive that has come out of it is, “I’m more empathetic and I’m able to see warning signs in the people I care about.”
As a young person, she wants people to remember, “Even though I’m young, my struggles are just as important.” Mental illness doesn’t discriminate based on anything, not even age.
It’s been a tough journey for Aleeza. “Sometimes, I have the urge to go back to my old ways and not every day is easy. Some days it feels like I’m back at square one,” she says. But through music and playing guitar, she finds pockets of hope and light in each day. “I’ve lived so many moments where I thought, “I nearly missed this. I nearly didn’t experience this. How lucky am I to be alive.’”
To anyone reading, Aleeza wants you to know, “I promise you will get through it. No matter how impossible it may seem, you will get through it eventually. Don’t give up.”
One of Aleeza’s favourite quotes for tough days and something she wants others to always remember is, “There will always be someone, somewhere, who is grateful that you exist.”
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