Struggling with mental illness is often arduous and seemingly lonely journey, but local author and motivational speaker Carla O’Reilly is using her personal struggle to reach out to others with her third self-help book.
T.U.R.N. O.N. T.H.E. S.W.I.T.C.H began as a presentation O’Reilly put together about postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, which she suffered from following the birth of her son.
While designing her presentation, O’Reilly realized that the 15 wellness tools that make up T.U.R.N. O.N. T.H.E. S.W.I.T.C.H are universally applicable to mental illness and self-confidence, and decided to share them with as many people as possible.
“The tools are simple, they're effective. . . and they’re simple things that [people] can do daily that are not [complicated],” said O’Reilly. “It's easy to get tangled up, when there's too many steps for something.”
O’Reilly’s wellness tools include taking time each day to make a list of things to be grateful for, or to have some goals set that can be accomplished. She advocates for the power of dreaming, of positive thinking, and believing in oneself.
O’Reilly travels all over Canada giving her T.U.R.N. O.N. T.H.E. S.W.I.T.C.H presentation as a mental health advocate, and as a role model for those touched by the struggle of mental illness.
“In my journey through my mental illness, I learned that you had to be a self-advocate in order to get better and you really had to drive the ship of your healing,” said O’Reilly. “No one's going to do it for you.”
In the eight years that O’Reilly has been traveling with her T.U.R.N. O.N. T.H.E. S.W.I.T.C.H presentation, she’s seen and spoken with many people who’ve found hope in her struggles with postpartum psychosis and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“I think that when people see that you've gone through like a debilitating mental illness and you speak about it, it gives them hope,” said O’Reilly. “I think that connection is huge.”
By publishing her book, O’Reilly hopes to reach a wider audience and make a difference in their lives.
“My goal is to help make the world a better place, and I want to start my hometown of Moose Jaw,” said O’Reilly.
The official book launch of T.U.R.N. O.N. T.H.E. S.W.I.T.C.H is on Aug. 15 in the Fifth Avenue Jewellers showroom, from 7 to 9 p.m. O’Reilly will have copies of the book available for purchase, as well as coffee and treats, and the event is open to the public to join in celebrating the release.
Preorders for the new book are also available on O’Reilly’s website, as well as more information about her speaking and previous two books.
