My Dwelling Place

  Trigger Warnings: anxiety, depression, self-hatred, self-harm, overdose      I am a third year student at UBC, studying philosophy. Today, I am an active part of the Catholic community on campus known as Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO), as well as discerning mission life, bettering my personal prayer, and leading other students by personal accompaniment. In my spare time, I like to read, write, and play music. I also like travelling, camping and hiking, coffee, and thrifting.       I'm what is known as a "cradle Catholic", but I would not have considered myself "practicing" until summer after my first year of university. Before that, I believed in God, but did not believe He was good. I was involved in volunteering, youth and campus ministry, and social justice for most of my life; I was known among friends as the more religious one and would be asked to lead often.       I also struggled with anxiety, depression, self-hatr...

Trigger warnings: Deeper, more sensitive topics for mature audiences. Mentions of anxiety and depression. Mentions of suicide.      I like hanging out with people, laughing with others, spending time alone in nature, listening to praise and worship music, and learning new hobbies such as knitting or crocheting. I have participated in many opportunities of youth ministry and campus ministry in high school and I continue to in university, but it wasn’t until later in high school that I really felt God’s love. I continually have to strengthen my commitment to God and say “Yes” to Him, as it isn’t always easy, and I’m human, but I know that every time I fall, God will always be there and He loves me.      My mental health has been up and down many different times and for many different reasons. I had a much different childhood compared to most people that I won't go into details about. I've struggled a lot with accepting what happened while also not allowing it...

   I’m currently a first-year student studying to become a project manager. Throughout high school, I had many hobbies such as crafting, high performance athletics, reading, baking, and more. I also volunteered with my church by teaching Sunday School and planning/leading the annual church retreat. Overall, I really enjoy being active and living a healthy lifestyle. I was raised a Christian for my whole life, attended a Christian school from grade 4-12, and have been consistently attending church since I was born. Being constantly surrounded by believers has been both beneficial and damaging to my faith because of the echo chamber created by my friends, family, and communities. I struggled to create my own faith, instead choosing to piggy-back on what other people said because it seemed like  the “easier version” of Christianity. This created some struggles in finding who I am in Christ because I never built my faith on my own beliefs. As I’ve grown and matured, I have ...

     I’m a student in my first year of university, hoping to become a highschool english teacher, or to work with youth in some way. I was raised Catholic my entire life, and attended Catholic elementary and highschool education. As a kid, I went to children’s ministry during mass, and later on I loved to altar serve. While I loved my faith, and knew I was valued as a daughter of Christ, up until I was a teenager, my decision to be Catholic was influenced by the environment I grew up in. When I entered grade seven, I began to have greater access to social media, and was exposed to ideas and opinions that countered what I was taught, and saw content where not every Christian was acting with love as they were intended to. This led me to struggle a lot with my faith, until I encountered other young teens who shared my concerns. Being surrounded by other young people who share my faith has helped me feel comfortable to explore it, and help other teens explore their own faith ...

My Dwelling Place is a faith based mental health resource targeted towards youth and young adults in the Church, particularly those who feel ashamed or alone due to anxiety, depression, and other difficulties they may face. Our mission for this program is to create a church Body where mental health is normalized, addressed, and supported, and teens can take comfort in Scripture, and in the person stories of others who have experienced struggles similar to their own. Through sharing mental health centered scripture, and the personal stories of youth and young adults, we want to showcase that God never meant for us to struggle alone; we were always meant to turn to Him, and to the community around us. By following this blog, I hope that you encounter community, and reassurance that you are not alone in what you are going through. Not only does God walk with you every step of the way, there are good people out in our world who will understand you and want to help you. Many people have e...