i’ve been writing for a little over a month and realized i haven’t introduced myself or given anyone a chance to get to know me.

TW: mental health discussion

Hi! My name is Kirsten - I’m a 31 year old Library and Information Technician at a college’s Health Library. I recently picked up Substack so I guess I can call myself a writer, as well (?). I’m a single mom of my daughter, Lyla, who is turning 12 this month. We live with my mom since housing and rent prices are insanely high where I live in Ontario, Canada. We have 2 cats, a black and white cat named Missy and an orange cat named Tweety-Bird.

I was born in and grew up in Ontario, Canada and attended McMaster University to obtain my Bachelor of Arts in English & Cultural Studies. I then attended Mohawk College to obtain my Library and Information Technician Ontario College Diploma. I love reading so a job in a library made sense for me.

When my daughter was 2 years old, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I had a fear I would hit my daughter one day because I was becoming increasingly frustrated easily and was feeling angrier and angrier with life. It was the best decision I ever made to tell my mom I needed help and for her to tell me to call the doctor. So I did. My mom took me to meet with a therapist who officially diagnosed me. I was then put on a waiting list for Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT). After 2 years, I got the call and complete 6 months of group and individual therapy in DBT. I was also diagnosed with PTSD and did 13 weeks of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

I’ve been struggling with my mental health recently and have been hating my job, as well. I made the move to start my own Substack because I always loved the idea of having my own personal book blog, but thought Instagram was a bit too judgy for me personally.

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If you’ve made it this far, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reading this and taking the time to learn more about me,

Hope to see you again here,

Kirsten