My mental health journey began many years ago. I was diagnosed with OCD at the tender age of 7. With the help of therapy, I learned lots of coping skills to help with the anxiety that made my heart race, panic set in, and left me sweating and completely overwhelmed. CBT and ERP therapy has helped with all the intrusive thots that would come into my mind and would leave me stuck. Paralyzed in place and needing so many reassurances. In ERP (exposure therapy) I had to face my many, very debilitating, fears. But I am here to tell you it worked. I had several good years, albeit challenging, as I always had some area to keep working on. Then I hit my teen years, and body image issues started to plague me. I was never satisfied with myself, never skinny enough, even though I was hardly eating anything. I would starve myself in an effort to get skinnier yet. Unfortunately, my heart, kidneys and other organs began to be affected, and started shutting down. I was hospitalized for 8 days to get medically stable again and was diagnosed with the eating disorder, anorexia. Thus began the hardest year of my life. After 2 stays in residential care, and numerous PHP programs, I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I am currently still in treatment, but in recovery, and I have HOPE! And that is where the dream of Hope For Joy Co. comes in. Something to keep me going on the hardest days while also bringing joy to others by sending these positive things. The first inspiration for this online store came while I was spending 3 long months at a mental health hospital, from the little gift shop in the lobby there. It was such a bright spot to all of us with so many inspirational things to look at. I hope those of you in a similar battle will keep on, even when it seems impossible, because you WILL eventually see the light also at the end of the tunnel. - Ellie