Page 3 ft. Misty Rae

Hello! My name is Misty Rae, I’ve spent almost 27 years around the sun and hope to spend many more sharing my love for all things creative through design and fashion!

Now, what I’m here for:

At a very young age, I had already experienced many complex emotions. I was being bombarded by all these intrusive thoughts that arose from dark situations. Ones that weren’t within my depth of understanding just yet, whilst being taught to normalize suppression. Not knowing how to deal with my own internal struggles in a more healthy manner, I became obsessed with this idea of needing to be loved and validated. This had only led me to abusive relationships, isolation, self-doubt and mostly self-hatred.

It was exhausting. I was consistently feeling sick, mentally and physically. I became selfish and was constantly projecting while wallowing in self-pity. Creating many tribulations within all my relationships, I just wanted to set my world on fire. It was then I realized, none of that was worth all the pain I caused within myself and others. I knew I was capable and deserving of so much more. Most importantly from myself. I wanted change.

Having to unlearn toxic behaviour and learn self-awareness at the same time takes a LOT of patience. It can also feel very lonely. But because I was willing to reach out, I learned that there was always someone there to help, someone to relate or someone to just talk to. Even simply talking allows you to express what used to be suppressed. The more I put in the effort, the more I was watering my mental day by day and I can now confidently say I’ve become more open - mind, body and spirit.

This is not to say I’m perfect. Online, we have the choice to mask ourselves behind the screens. Authenticity then becomes easily misconstrued due to the constant comparisons of what’s real and what’s not. Though there is no right or wrong on how we individually choose to air out certain parts of our lives. I still have off days. I still have insecurities. I still have flaws. Being online is more so a humbling reminder to stay present and true to myself regardless of what is deemed to be “accepted”. I think it’s important to stop romanticizing this concept and realize that life can be hard all around. Whether we understand it or not, struggle also looks different on everyone and however we all choose to heal is valid.

All in all, everyone has a darkness they don’t speak about. I’m so grateful for platforms like this that encourage us to do so freely without there being any judgment in return. There’s an understanding here that trying to gather the strength to reach for some source of light can be scary as hell. So, If you were able to get through this reading, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your time and thank you for your help in breaking the stigma. If you’re in search right now, I truly hope you find a light and when it radiates through you, I promise you’ll know that’s something worth living for.

— Mist