The Hero Within

The Hero Within

BY KATIE MCCULLOUGH

Having a mental health hero is tricky when you are in a vulnerable place. We are all attempting to navigate this awkward existence, with all of its nuance and gray area, in a way that cultivates the most contentment, maybe even happiness, in our own individual lives. When circumstances become di cult or seem unbearable, the easiest thing to do is to surrender to the advice of people we admire, whether it is in our best interest or not. For myself, growing up in a Southern Baptist church as a queer person, it was much easier to follow the status quo and listen to my religious heroes tell me to “love the sinner; hate the sin” when it came to being LGBTQ+, giving women reproductive freedom, etc. These leaders were my inspiration in times of crippling fear and confusion. They shaped my entire worldview because I believed they would supposedly lead me to mental fulfillment and mental fortitude. Church counselors with mental health values and proclivities different from mine were offering therapy sessions to help me t the mold of their biblical heroes as they interpreted them. It took me years to realize I was trying to t a mold that would never bend to fit me.

So, how are we supposed to find our heroes? Our inspiration? Do they emerge from a doom scroll on TikTok with the soothing voice of a mental health influencer? Do we find respite in our religion or our rituals? As we reflect on who inspires us and what helps to nourish our mental health and overall presence in the world, I try to remember to search for an authentic reflection of myself rather than what is societally “perfect” or popular. Also, shouldn’t our sources of inspiration be ever-evolving? If we are to keep growing and discovering ourselves, it only makes sense to search for new sources of inspiration to re ect ourselves authentically.

I clearly do not have the answers, but if anyone is going to inspire me, it is the people I choose to invest in. All I know is that I will continue to make an e ort to only allow those who feed my authentic self to play the hero in my story, and try to be the kind of person I needed when I was lost, confused, and uninspired by the heroes I was told to admire.

KATIE MCCULLOUGH, graduate of Flagler College, is currently teaching English Language Arts in Saint Augustine, FL, specializing in gifted and exceptional education. Prior to attending graduate school, Katie plans to pursue her passion for writing while finding time to travel the world.