Day 31: Post a picture of yourself and tell us your story.

31 Days of BPD

Here we are – the end. (It only took 5 months, I apologise!)

So here I am. I’m Lauren Hayley Sowts and I’m 23 years old. I have the most incredible mum, boyfriend Nathan, and friends.

It’s hard to know what to write when you’re faced with ‘tell us your story’, so I’m going to give you a quick timeline and bulletpoint it for you all to see:

• Aged 11 – Abuse from an uncle
• Aged 12 – First (and only) time to properly self harm
• Aged 13 – Sexual abuse, from another uncle
• Aged 14 – Anxiety attacks begin
• Aged 15 – Anxiety attacks 2 or 3 times a day and hello depression
• Aged 16 – The deepest and most consistant depression I’ve ever faced
• Aged 17 – Anxiety prevents me from eating – drop 2 st
• Aged 18 – Come into recovery from the eating disorder caused by anxiety
• Aged 19/20/21 – Consistantly up and down
• Aged 22 – Diagnosed with BPD and Cyclothymia
• Aged 23 – Anxiety at an all time low and taking its form in Agoraphobia

I think it’s safe to say I’d like just one normal year. My life is one thing after another all the time. It’s so draining.

But luckily for me, I have a creative streak and this is the only thing that can take my mind off all the rubbish. I write (obviously), I paint, I draw (not very well), I upcycle, I design – I do everything and anything that uses that fun part of my brain.

So that’s basically me. In a nutshell. Or the weird parts at least. You can find the more random parts here.

And now, because I’m crazy and haven’t got enough to do, I’m planning The Mental Health Art Auction in August. It uses my skills for a good cause and I need as many of you as possible to get on board and join the fight with me. If you are interested, please let me know so that we can make a real difference.