What mental health means to me - Riley

I was diagnosed with autism when I was 20. I had always been different, was always awkward or had a hard time with things others didn’t, but I thought I knew what autism was and it wasn’t me. It took me hearing others’ stories of people who experienced the world in ways similar to me to consider I wasn’t just different or quirky I had something worth accommodating. It was something I could finally give myself grace for and it helped me to navigate the world with knowledge rather than fear. It is important to me that mental health—and the challenges that come with it—be believed, taken seriously, and treated tenderly so that people can better understand themselves, and with that understanding discover how to give themselves and others grace.