OrchidMiss
Official Reef Mermaid
Partner Member 2024
NJRC Member
Hospitality Award
CRC Member
Reef Pumpkin Carver
EPRA Member
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
My Tank Thread
Guys, I'm going to be very open, honest, and candid here with you all for a moment. I need to share some things that have been weighing very heavily on my mind & heart. I don’t know who needs to read this, but since I have been feeling this way, I’m positive someone else needs these words as badly as I do.
You are not a burden.
Read that again if you need to.
I want to talk a little bit about mental health, specifically, my own. I’ve lived with and battled depression & anxiety since I was a young teen. Recently, due to increased stress in literally every aspect of my life, these two things have ravaged me almost to the point of breaking.
However, I need to thank you thank you guys. Many of you have become better friends, and more like a family than I have had in a very long time.
My tanks are my "safe place", if you will. I find solace and peace in the water. I can immerse myself (well, my hands and arms) for hours and feel the stress, heartache, fear, and anxiety melting away; the heaviness of the world becomes as weightless I am, floating on top of the water. A place where you can't tell the difference between the saltwater and the tears.
I see myself as a mermaid for many reasons. The water is where I feel the most at home, most free, where there is no judgement or shame.
Lately, life has been this way for not just me, & not just healthcare workers.
Life has shifted and we all need that place where we can go to completely be ourselves.
I can't thank each of you enough or individually, as I would undoubtedly leave someone out.
I feel at home here with all you other weirdos and coral nerds with a passion for reef keeping.
So keep on going. Cry those tears into the tanks. Vent to the people who care and understand you.
If you don't have anyone like that in your corner, send me a message. I'll listen.
You are not a burden.
Read that again if you need to.
I want to talk a little bit about mental health, specifically, my own. I’ve lived with and battled depression & anxiety since I was a young teen. Recently, due to increased stress in literally every aspect of my life, these two things have ravaged me almost to the point of breaking.
However, I need to thank you thank you guys. Many of you have become better friends, and more like a family than I have had in a very long time.
My tanks are my "safe place", if you will. I find solace and peace in the water. I can immerse myself (well, my hands and arms) for hours and feel the stress, heartache, fear, and anxiety melting away; the heaviness of the world becomes as weightless I am, floating on top of the water. A place where you can't tell the difference between the saltwater and the tears.
I see myself as a mermaid for many reasons. The water is where I feel the most at home, most free, where there is no judgement or shame.
Lately, life has been this way for not just me, & not just healthcare workers.
Life has shifted and we all need that place where we can go to completely be ourselves.
I can't thank each of you enough or individually, as I would undoubtedly leave someone out.
I feel at home here with all you other weirdos and coral nerds with a passion for reef keeping.
So keep on going. Cry those tears into the tanks. Vent to the people who care and understand you.
If you don't have anyone like that in your corner, send me a message. I'll listen.
