Getting to know Stella B.

Woman sitting by a tree smiling

My name is Christella and I am an overcomer. I’m 29 years old with a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. At the age of 24, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety. At the age of 26, I was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. I have also survived many years of trauma which led to PTSD in my daily life.

A Troubling Past

I have endured every possible trauma to be imagined. I always called myself “God’s red-headed step-child” because I seem to be the punch line to everyone’s joke. Between verbal and emotional abuse from my parents, rape, and trauma from marriage, I couldn’t imagine surviving.

The more I overcame a situation, more was put on my plate. I became so physically ill that my son stopped growing in my womb. By the time I was 26, everything seem to be crumbling around me. I had 2 kids, a destroyed marriage, no relationship with my mother, and no job.

I was constantly dissociating, having traumatic flashbacks of what was happening in my life, and self-harming to cope with the pain. Everything around me was a trigger. People laughing, playing, touching each other, kids, adults, it didn’t matter. It all caused me to hyperventilate and cry.

A Necessary Change

I made it to the point where I felt trapped in my life and despite having children, I just wanted out. That’s when I knew something had to change.

I shut out the outside world by removing myself from social media.

I got more active in my church and joined a life group of women who had been through the same things I’ve gone through.

I found a job teaching English and dedicated everything to being a great teacher.

I found a counselor who was able to not only diagnose me but help me walk through my healing step-by-step.

Steps in the Right Direction

I was anxious for a quick fix to all of my issues. I asked my counselor for medication or some kind of immediate relief to all of the hurting. Instead, he affirmed me that healing is possible, despite it being slow. He anticipated 3-5 years of consistent counseling to get me at a healthy mental state.

I did it all in less than 2 years.

What I learned

The most important things I learned in the last few years is that:

*Pain is never wasted. God actually has a purpose and an intention for every moment of hurting and for every tear I cried. I stopped fighting the pain when I realized my hurting was about more than just me. I can heal from this and help some people who also feel trapped in their lives.

*Healing is a journey… not a destination. There really isn’t a quick fix if you want a thorough healing. Although my journey was painful and heart wrenching, it was worth it to be this functional despite my many mental health struggles.

*I am dearly loved by God. All that I went through was worth it to discover who I am in Christ and what makes me unique and special. In my trials, I discovered my worth and how my hurting did not define who God was… it only reminded me to depend on Him and that His will is perfect.

*People are noisy, but necessary. Although I did unplug from social media to keep the madness out of my mind, I also plugged into the right people who had seen similar life challenges and were willing to support me. Accountability became key in my life and I am grateful to those women for being the support that I needed to survive my many trials. We’ve built a sisterhood from our trials that I thank God for everyday.

woman in an open field with her back to the camera with her arms out to her side.

The Beginnings of Life with Stella B

This blog is a culmination of what I’ve seen and learned over the years trying to heal from so many mental health disorders. I am using this platform to provide hope for those who think there is no way out of the situation they are in. God is in control and your pain will not be wasted! I promise!

Present Day

Today, I am still teaching 8th grade English and happily raising two babies alone. I am still hardwired with depression, anxiety, and trauma triggers, but in practice with God, I am able to overcome those symptoms daily to live a life I love with children I adore.

Ready to do life with Stella B?

I would love to hear from you. If there are resources I can provide on this site to support you, please let me know.

The way we support each other is by doing life with each other and that is where Life with Stella B came to life. I hope we can do life together on this journey of mental health.

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. ALMAG

    Stella B,
    Congratulations on your faith in God, on your desires to overcome life’s most miserable hurdles and abuses, your inner strength cannot be measured. Reading about your life, especially your childhood, stirred up harsh memories about my childhood days and had me crying. I am proud of you! The God we serve is a Mighty God, keep praying, keep leaning on Him, He will direct your path and cover you with love, faithful and compassionate is He. Wishing you the very best with your endeavors.
    My sister in Christ.
    Love and blessings to you.

    1. StellaB

      I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment! I’m sorry if this triggered anything painful for you… but the hope is in Christ. His ability to heal is like nothing I’ve seen on Earth and my full confidence is in Him to get us through. I’m praying for you as well and I’m hoping for a bright future despite a tremulous past. I know God is able! He did wonders for me… I know the healing will come for you too. When I get it all set up, I hope you’ll subscribe so we can do this journey of healing together!

  2. Clive Webb

    Hi Stella.
    Wow, thank you for sharing your life traumas. I applaud you for speaking up about the horrible experiences you have had. It’s very hard to speak up and let the world into your life. As you know, I’ve done the same thing as you.
    You have found god, and that is great as it’s helping you personally. I seem to have found writing, which is ironic really, as I’ve never liked writing, and I can’t spell to save my life, thank god for spell check lol.
    We both seem to have the same mission. If we can help just one person, by speaking up and telling our story, then it makes it all worth while. Good luck and god bless, let’s get the word out there.😊

    Kind regards

    Clive.

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