A brand dedicated to happiness. That is how Harry Holman describes the online community he is building through his website.
Freemind Apparel Co, is a place where youth can speak openly about mental health.
“The reason people don’t want to talk about it is because there is a stigma associated with it,” explained Holman.
“If you break your arm, the first thing you say is ‘I better go to the hospital.’ If your mind is not functioning properly, you say ‘I’ll hide it because I don’t want anyone to know.’ It’s really sad.”
Holman himself grew up living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
“It was something I never talked about. I hid it from everybody,” he said.
“When I got to university the extra stresses kicked it up a notch and it really started to control me. I wouldn’t be able to go to bed for half an hour to 45 minutes because I’d be doing checks and compulsions.”
A family friend had once told Holman, that if his compulsions ever started to be a problem or to interfere with his daily life, that he should seek help.
“So I went and got help,” Holman said.
His psychiatrist helped to educate him on what was happening and helped him to find ways to control his thoughts.
“One of my favorite quotes is ‘The mind is a beautiful servant yet a terrible master’, said Holman. “It’s unbelievably true if you let your mind run out of control.”
For the next year Holman set about working on himself and applying what he had learned about how to control his thoughts. He was able to face his OCD straight on.
If he had a deep feeling of having to do something, he was able to change his mind set, by asking himself if he really had to do it and what would be the worst that would happen if he didn’t do it.
Every day when he woke up he would do the things that he had been taught would help him.
He did very well for about six months and was feeling much happier.
It was while he was on a trip to Las Vegas with some friends that he brought on what his doctor called a self–induced state of psychosis.
“Lack of sleep, lack of eating, too much drinking and marijuana” were the reasons explained Holman.
“I was manic and that lasted three to four days until I was taken to the psychiatric ward where I stayed for a week. At the time I hated it but it was exactly what I needed.”
After returning to university Holman slipped into a state of depression.
“I didn’t want to leave my room or have any connection with anybody.”
He dropped out of university and returned home to his parents. He got a job as a server.
“That was a huge step towards recovery because of the constant interaction with people,” said Holman. “It really helped with the self- esteem and confidence.”
Eventually Holman started to talk about what he had gone through and how he was doing.
“It really helped me get better by talking,” he said. “It’s really therapeutic.”
He found too, that in opening up to others, it allowed them to drop their barriers and open up to him.
It has been through his life experience that Holman has been led to what he is doing now.
Not only has he developed his website but he is also working with other mental health agencies and is speaking publicly, sharing his story.
Holman sees a future where society will talk openly about mental illness. He has coined the phrase, ‘We are the generation leaving stigma behind.’
As he works to help others, he continues to care for his own mental health by meditating daily, using visualization techniques and positive affirmations. He ensures that he eats well and gets enough sleep.
“In my opinion there is nothing more important than being happy,” said Holman.
“That’s exactly why I am trying to help others find happiness.”
To hear more of Holman’s story or share your own, read the blog written by medical professionals or check out the apparel items go to freemindapparelco.com.
If you know a positive story about someone in our community, contact Carla McLeod at carlamcleod@shaw.ca or contact the Summerland Review newsroom at 250-494-5406.
