Welcome!

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This blog has been a thought in my (very crazy, mixed up) mind for a long time and I've decided enough is enough. I want to share my story, and hopefully help or inspire someone along the way.

My name is Julia. I'm a 21 year old studying Criminal Justice and Psychology. I love fashion and all things girly. I'm always experimenting with my makeup and trying new fashion trends. I have a Pinterest addiction and get a high from doing Zumba. I enjoy baking (even if I'm not that good) and going on adventures by reading a new book. I also enjoy real adventures and traveling to new places.

I seem pretty normal, right?

Not in a million years would I label myself normal. I liked to call myself "diverse" and I've recently learned the term "neurodiverse" and that's what accurately describes me. I've always been unique since I was a young child.

I was your typical child up until I was two and a half in age. I had minor anxieties and I was reaching all my milestones at a normal age. It was a seizure that most likely changed my brain (I don't say damaged because I like who I've become and what the changes have done to me). After that, my parents noticed me doing some weird things - they just thought I was really smart. I wrote my first real word when I was three on the sidewalk with chalk (it was "hotdog" if anyone is curious) and I started reading when I was four. It wasn't until school where I was diagnosed with motor delays and social skill deficits. No one knew what this meant and my mom kept searching for answers. In the mean time, I received Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy (OT and PT) starting in Kindergarten, then in first grade they added Speech Therapy.

It wasn't until the end of third grade where I received an actual diagnosis - Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD or NVLD). Now that I'm older, my diagnosis fits me perfectly. It covers the motor delays (which even at this age I still have trouble with), my flat voice, my issues fitting into social situations, my trouble with abstractness, my issues with math and more. I knew I had it from a young age (I've always felt "different" ever since I can remember), but I never used it as an excuse for anything. I fought and worked hard and here I am today as a beautiful, smart, very successful individual.

In the mix of this I have anxiety disorders (they're diagnosed as "not otherwise specified" but I know for sure they're Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and mild agorophobia). I know I would probably have this even without the NLD - anxiety disorders run in my family and my personality is the same as my dad's. But I do think the NLD makes my problems with anxiety a lot more severe. Without the proper treatment, I wouldn't leave the house or even function in society.

Today, my anxiety is my biggest issue and is what holds me back the most. I fear the unknown. I panic if something changes. I think in the future. I tend to be unrealistic and irrational. But without this, I wouldn't be me.

So, I created this blog to share the struggles of my everyday life and hopefully reach out to some new people. I will post my stories, my experiences, things that help me, things that don't work. I will vent and I will post lifestyle things. I hope you follow me in my journey from this day forward.