Why are there so many mental health blogs?

I have contemplated starting a blog for a long time and this question is one I think about often; it's also the one that has hindered me jumping into this. Is it worth my time? Who will read mine when there are hundreds of others to choose from? What makes mine so special?

I decided that this is no longer something for me to contemplate, but for me to just do, and hopefully these answers will come in time. I have learned, but struggle to apply-- because, I am also human-- that we can be our own worst enemies. We hold ourselves back for reasons unknown to everyone else but created in our heads. I have decided today that I will no longer hold myself back for fear of the unknown.

SO--this is my mental health blog! My goal is to share the knowledge I have gained through many years of working in the mental health population, as well as my own mental health struggles, to hopefully help someone else! I hope to reach many, but just a few would make me equally as happy!

This blog will contain helpful information related to mental health and relationships--things to try, knowledge to learn, space to contemplate and grow, a safe place to relate-- and likely personal things that have led to my growth that I hope can also help others!

To start, I should probably introduce myself and give the WHY's to all of this--Why I became a therapist, why helping others has become my passion, why I started my own business, why I worked (and left) the corrections field, why I want to share personal things for the world to see about myself...

My name is Jilissa (unique, yes, annoying to have announced incorrectly for the entirety of my life)--Pronounced "Juh-liss-a", smashed together. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and have been since 2015. I chose to become a therapist because of MY therapist, that I started seeing at a very young age. She was my rock and guidance through a tumultuous childhood (you will likely learn more about this throughout my blog, sorry fam!) up until just last year, when she retired. I personally struggle with anxiety, depression and ADHD, and many 'tendencies' that could likely fall under some diagnosis, but who needs all of those? Helping others helps me. This is a very frowned upon thing to admit as a therapist (because transference & countertransference), however, I work hard to not let boundaries get crossed and for everyone I work with (including myself) to remain healthy in therapy. In short, I started my own business because working for others is a nightmare, and because I want to be able to help others the way I want to help them; without being micromanaged, and with as much time as I choose to work with someone, instead of being told how many people I have to see in a day (of course within the realm of what is appropriate, ethical and legal). Lastly, I want to share personal things because I am HUMAN and we all fail, struggle, and succeed in the same way. Nobody is perfect in application ---even the one's that are trained in the best therapy modalities, knowledgeable about grounding skills and ways to help alleviate depressive symptoms, 'seasoned' in life and relationships. We all can BLOOM together (this is where the name idea came from for my business) grow, change, and help each other, so WHY NOT?

The next question is where to start...