From Mental Illness To Mental Wellness

Hi! I'm Sandra. I'm a 32 year old woman living in Australia with my husband, 4 year old son, three cats, and a terribly unhealthy obsession with chickens. (Don't judge me.)

4 years ago after my son was born, I was diagnosed with severe Postnatal Depression. I became suicidal, could not function or parent my child, and nearly had to be put in a psychiatric hospital. I'd always had mental health issues as a result of a violent childhood and had already been diagnosed with PTSD. The Postnatal Depression just brought it back to the forefront. I was sick all over again.

One of the biggest challenges facing my recovery was a lack of funds. I was so bad my husband had to take six months off of work to look after me because I couldn't even get out of bed. We went tens of thousands of dollars in debt and nearly lost our house.

I started to make jewellery. At first it was just to have something to do with my hands. I'd always been creative and I found making things to be quite therapeutic. In support - my husband Simon started to make forged copper pieces as well - we both became quite good at it.

I started selling my jewellery at local shops and markets and using the funds to pay for my therapy and medications. It didn't cover it, but it helped and I began to improve.

It's been a long road, I've had ups and downs and I still can't always afford therapy - but I'm getting there day by day, beautiful piece by beautiful piece.