BEAUMONT, Texas — A Southeast Texas mother of three is hoping her newly published book sharing her mental health struggles will help break the stigma surrounding the topic.
Amy Bridges, of Beaumont, wrote and had her first book, “Another Face in the Crowd,” published and released this past month.
She wants to share her struggles with the community so they know that they aren’t alone.
"People struggle silently, all the time with mental health," Bridges told 12News.
She spent three years writing and getting the book published.
"I felt like God had called me to write a book," Bridges said. "And I've never finished almost almost anything in my life from from beginning to completion."
Bridges says writing the book, which tackles topics from depression and negative self-talk to grief, was a healing process.
"I had healed before writing, but I also healed during the writing, and obviously, I'm still healing," she said.
The book includes blank "journal pages" so that readers write their own thoughts down or take notes.
"I really want to take the hand of another person through my book, and to just tell them, it's gonna be okay," Bridges explains.
Bridge's writing process began in a room covered with positive quotes and sticky notes covering the walls and the inside of the doors.
"Each post-it note is either, like a teaching lesson, or a relatability like, me too, a struggle," she said. "I love the positive words up here. It just makes me happy."
Bridges' book also touches on the increasing influence that social media can have in a chapter titled “Not a Highlight Reel."
"We look to social media. And we compare our every day to somebody else's highlight reel," Bridges explains. "Let's not do that, because that's not healthy."
She hopes that her book will help lead others into a more positive light when it comes to mental health.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.