Hi, I'm Anjum

I grew up in what I refer to as a fairy tale world. My parents moved to Nigeria before I was born, and our family of 4 lived a pretty charmed life. We had people who worked in our home and vacations twice a year. In fact, I had never even made my bed! Our family was pretty normal.

Then at the age of 13, I went to boarding school in India - hours away from my friends, family and the place I called home. That is where depression took root and (I'm not going to lie) things got pretty bad. Being there shook my sense of self to the core and I never quite found myself again.

Over the years I wanted desperately to find help but the stigma around mental health issues was too great. In addition, I convinced myself that nothing *that bad* had happened in my life. So maybe this was just the way life is - how everyone feels. And because I am one of those people who manage to pull themselves out of bed and not only get to work, but excel at it, maybe I didn't need the help after all. I put my own inquisitive mind to work and with the help of the interwebs, found coping strategies that helped me hold it together for a little while longer.

Fast forward to my mid-thirties and I finally couldn't do it on my own. I sought out the help of a therapist and with their help started to unravel the web. I then discovered art therapy. Through all of this, I have developed my own blend of techniques that work for me, and that is what I would like to share with you.

This is Quilla

Quilla (pronounced Kiya) was born in Mexico. She and her two brothers were given up by their mother's humans because they were not "pure" poodle. So she knows what it's like to not be accepted for who you are.

When she came to Canada (at the ripe old age of 7 months) she would walk between my legs, terrified of everything and everyone. Now, she is pretty brave - she knows the importance of trying things that seem scary. You may still end up scared of them but at least you know you gave it a go. And sometimes, if you go back to the scary thing enough times, it no longers seems scary.

So if you're looking for a little courage along this journey, just look at her smiling face - and remember the world isn't quite as hard as you make it out to be in your head!