Hello Me, It's you by Anonymous, Hannah Todd BOOK REVIEW

Title:Hello Me, Its You

Author: Anonymous, Hannah Todd

Source: E-Arc 

Genre: Young Adult, Mental Health, Non-Fiction

Published: 2016

*Received e-arc to review from Net-Galley

Goodreads summary

“Keep smiling and being you. Don’t let the world change you”

Hello Me, it’s You is a collection of letters by young adults aged 17-24 about their experiences with mental health issues. The letters are written to their 16-year-old selves, giving beautifully honest advice, insight and encouragement for all that lays ahead of them.

This book was produced by the Hello Me, it’s You charity, set up by the editor, Hannah. Hannah was diagnosed with depression and anxiety whilst at university and found comfort in talking to friends about their experiences, realising she was not alone in her situation. This inspired the idea for the charity and book. Through the creation of materials such as this, the charity aims to provide reassurance for young adults (and their families) who are experiencing mental health issues and give a voice to young adults on such an important topic. The result of that will hopefully be a reduction in the negative stigma surrounding mental health and an increase in awareness of young people’s experiences. All profits go the Hello Me, it’s You charity, for the production of future supportive books.

Trigger warning: Due to it’s nature, the content of this book may be triggering. Contains personal experiences of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, trichotillomania and other mental health issues, as well as issues such as assault.

“…both beautiful and necessary” Sarah Franklin

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This book is important. 

This book is important maybe now more than ever. 

The editor/innovator behind this anthology of letters, Hannah Todd, has crafted a collection that has the power to speak straight to your soul. What makes this collection so important is that it does not just empower those that can relate to struggling with mental health issues, but it's also a tool for friends and family members of those suffering with mental health issues to gain a valuable insight into how to better understand their loved one and what they are going through.

This is important. 

This is a good book to gift to a family/friend if you believe, or if you know, that they are suffering through mental health issues. This is also a good book to gift to family/friends if you feel like you can't talk to them about mental health issues you are facing.

This book works because it is written by, and to, those suffering with various mental health issues. The spectrum of issues described within this collection is varied, and they are all, even the darker ones, uplifting. 

I found myself  automatically assuming each letter was written by a female when reading, so I was pleasantly surprised when I came across a particular letter that proved this was not the case, and going forward from this point I realised that the gender of the writers was insignificant. What mattered was their words. 

Encouraging, uplifting, and at times heartbreaking - each letter resonated with me in different ways. I couldn't relate to each variation of the issues dealt with, but I could relate to some, and as a person who lives with mental health struggles, I found myself warmed by the letters inside this collection. It was encouraging to know so many others were living with what can sometimes feel like the unlivable effects of mental health issues. It was a cathartic read, and it was an inspiring read. I would encourage anyone to read this book. It is important. 

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Inspired by the bravery of those involved with this project, I feel like the best way to honor this book is to write my own letter. Feel free to write your own and post it in the comments if you want to share.

Hello 16 year old me, it's you,

I saw a meme the other day (you don't know what a meme is yet, but you will. Look out for the Biden memes.) proposing the choice between going back to a ten year old you, and re-living your life over, with all the knowledge you have gained up until this moment, or going forward to your mid-forties, and being a millionaire living in a beautiful home. The choice was to pick one. I know what your answer is: you would move forward, take the money and run away from everything you are living through, and I'm so sorry that you feel like to be happy you have to run away from your current situation. I can tell you that we don't fast forward to our forties and live a filthy rich life, but we do change our situation. 

I know, it seems impossible right now, right? We do it. We did it. 

Now here's the tricky part. Where you are currently, surrounded by those who do not understand, or don't care, or take advantage,.. well it gets worse.

But then it gets better. Better than you ever thought imaginable. Better than you ever wrote about during the periods that you were awake. 

You've been through some stuff already - unimaginable stuff. You've already had your first panic attack, and your second. You know that feeling you get in the morning which makes you unable to go to school? You know that uncontrollable shaking you get whenever that boy that you like tries to touch you - even gently? That's part of your anxiety. Your cousin was right when he took you to the doctors, the thoughts you had of dying, the many times you planned your funeral, and those dark moments of despair when you made attempts at ending your life, you are not choosing to be miserable: you do have depression. The doctor is wrong, it is not your fault. It's still many years until you will be diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and begin the medication that will slowly start to give you space in your mind. There are darker times ahead. I'm so sorry that these things will happen, but you can survive them - and we do.

Writing helps. 

Reading has allowed you to visit other worlds, other lives, but writing will allow you to clear your mind enough to make it through another day, another hour, another minute. And guess what? When you're 19 you will go to college - how unbelievable does that sound? Don't panic! Don't get worked up about this, because you do go, and then you complete your course, and you move to Sheffield to go to University.

I promise I'm not joking. 

It's not smooth sailing. It turns out that Sheffield is just a bit too much, too soon. It's too far away, too different. That's okay. In fact, that's the best decision you ever make, because transferring to Salford Uni is where your life truly changes. You meet the most incredible people, you study (maybe not as hard as you should have) your dream degree, and guess what? We graduate with honors. 

We haven't moved back home yet, though we are considering it. We're almost 25, and as much as we love living with our new friends (they're amazing! but don't worry, you're the Beyonce) we know it is time to grow up, move on, and establish our own path in life. 

It's been a few months since it got bad again and we finally went back to the doctors. This time the doctor listened to us and you know what? It helped. It finally helped. I mean, things are not perfect but they are certainly better. The difference this time is we are getting help. We're finally going to deal with things we should have been allowed to deal with many years ago. We're on medication, though we don't want to stay on it for longer than necessary, and we are waiting for our appointment to begin counselling. We are going to heal. 

Do you know how I know? Because it's already begun.

So hang on, write it out, and push yourself to make the space for the change you want, because I'm writing this to you now with a support system of incredible people in our life, some of whom you have not yet met, and some you will create a deeper bond with soon. 

Breathe. Listen to music. Open your curtains. Open the window. Concentrate on the moment you are in, and before you know it you will be here, and I'll be somewhere closer to that millionaire lifestyle in the huge house, and I promise you, we won't need or want to be alone there.

Write more,

Love, you at 24 x