Sonia Beltz is a former digital editor for Love What Matters based near Dayton, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. In her free time, you can find her writing, reading, or researching random historical facts online. Follow her on Instagram at @skatbel.
“I will never forget the doctor’s words, ‘We think Brooke should be hospitalized.’ My daughter gave me the courage to be authentic and not view a diagnosis as a cloak of shame.”
“My eating disorder was my best friend, my confidant, the thing I could turn to when I felt like I was spinning out. I was so attached to this way of coping that it was killing me—literally.”
“My emotions do not control me or what I choose to do. I can smell roses and see color.”
“‘If what I did was a mistake, I would make that mistake ten times over again to get this kid.’ There should be no shame in that.”
“Now, four years and four kids later, we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Learning to love myself again was essential to us being okay, and I knew it. We learned how ‘hard’ could be rewarding for us all.”
“Stop telling mothers to ‘hold on’ or to ‘brace yourself’ because the years of a teen girl can only be filled with strife and difficulty. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“I admitted myself to a psychiatric facility. My husband went back to our newborn by himself, without paternity leave. I want to make sure other bipolar women don’t give birth without being prepared.”
“I remember that day when I stood on the threshold of a new life. 14 years later, I celebrated 14 years clean.”
“I regret not seeking help sooner.”
