I Never Thought I Would Find a Support System on Medium
Why I’m fortunate to have it
I am a shy, introvert. And I am wary of letting anyone close. But many of you already know that — there are two sides to me, Juli who shies away from the limelight, and then there is Yana who is quite the vocal writer.
Are you surprised? Well, I am too.
Let me explain. Juli is an empath. She is quiet, prefers her books, and nature, and talks to animals — especially cats. Of a trusting and compassionate nature, she never knew that there is a specific type of personality who is drawn to those qualities specifically because those people don’t have them but instead long to possess and crush them.
Do you think I’m being dramatic?
You have no idea, do you? Well, I’m not going to lecture you on it and certainly hope you don’t cross paths with the type of personality disorder I’m talking about — it’s certainly not the garden variety type you may or may not be familiar with.
I have come a long way since.
The words you read today are penned by Yana. This personality emerged through my writing on Medium. Perhaps Yana has always been around — where else would I have found the willpower and strength to endure and persevere all those years without giving up?
The truth is I would never have rediscovered her if I hadn’t joined a support group that started this whole journey of self-discovery and self-awareness. The group along with my friends and family provides me with a much-needed support system as I continue on the path to healing and forgiveness.
I don’t know the precise moment it happened and am not comfortable sharing this (because I don’t want to convey the wrong impression) -but to me, it feels like my audience discovered me overnight. Of course, I did read, clap and comment on a million articles but that’s not the point here. The point is it got reciprocated and before long I had myself an audience — not just any audience but a loyal audience.
Yes, I’m immensely grateful for that but the truly amazing thing to me is it feels like family.
A strange feeling for a self-declared introvert to have, don’t you think?
For example — quickly name the pets of your readers without blinking an eye. Can you do that? Well, I can (for the most part, that is) — not on account of my IQ — but rather due to the fact that I genuinely care (for the pet owners or pets, you decide 😉).
In a time when we are constantly bombarded by articles on how people are much dinero writers are making, this may not seem like an accomplishment of any sort and may even trigger a few scoffs but listen, those people are not me. And honestly, I couldn’t care less what they think.
Am I rambling?🤔 Perhaps sappy is a better word for it 😁❤
What I’m trying to say this that being part of a wonderful, supportive community on Medium has helped me so much both as a person and writer. In addition to giving me the confidence to try new things, this community has given me friends, mentors, and the realization that I’m not alone in my struggles.
And it motivates me every day to give back, uplift, and be reciprocal.
I’d like to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support following the recent fiasco at Coffee Times and its sudden closure. We are still reeling but hanging in there. I’d like to welcome you to check out the Reciprocal pub by my friend Sahil Patel where our aim is to support each other as writers. Also, please join me in welcoming my dear friend Dr. Preeti Singh onboard as editor.
I’d like to share these posts by amazing writers Deb Fiore, Carrie Kolar, and Victoria Gregg