Oteca is Sierra, a writer, mental health advocate, and a smiley, silly queer. But they haven’t always been able to live this authentic, raw, and miraculous life. Back in 2019, they dropped out of college after crashing into a rock-bottom moment in their depression and anxiety (one of several they would survive over the next couple of years). They could no longer manage their schoolwork, part-time job, and ballooning anxiety and depression. With the guidance of their mom and aunt, they decided to take a leave of absence. But they never went back. They spent the next two years trying to figure out what “healing” even meant. They’d spent years ignoring their emotions and mental health, so they had no baseline to rely on; they had to create their own. They’ve done everything from feeling every emotion deeply, to hiding from their emotions, to meditating, to journaling, to loads of therapy, to medication. Some have helped them more than others. They spent a long time feeling indescribably alone in their experiences. They often thought they were losing their mind, spinning in circles while standing still, a wailing voice inside their head that wouldn’t leave them alone. So they started writing. For as long as they can remember, they’ve had a journal. Writing has been their personal therapy, their best friend, their truest confidant. They started sharing it with others, hoping that maybe just one person might see themselves in their words. And then, maybe they’d both feel a little less alone.
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