Gillian Smith

Throughout her life, Gillian struggled with depression and anxiety. In a time before we had ever heard the terms 'depression' or 'mental stigma', she suffered in silence, afraid to tell anyone of the darkness clouding her mind, in fear that she would be labelled as crazy. When the depression followed her into adulthood, she stopped trying to outrun it and accepted it with open arms into her live, as part of herself, and the driving force behind the person she has become today. During her darker moments, she found solace in the pages of empty notebooks, where she wrote about her deepest and darkest thoughts, the premise for what would one day become her first book. Writing her story gave her great therapy and helped her to see the path to acceptance. She hopes that by passing on her 'words of wisdom' it may be some small help to others suffering from mental illness, by showing them that they are not alone and that there is no need to be afraid. Gillian has dreamt for years of being able to call herself an author and hopes that one day she will find the time to finish some of the other stories that have been started, but not finished over the years!