We recently connected with Katy Parker and have shared our conversation below.

Katy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Life doesn’t always go in the direction we want, or imagined it would, but who said that we can’t discover the purpose and meaning of our life whilst on plan B? Things happen for a reason. So when I returned to writing after an accident, which left me with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), I felt there was an opportunity to use my love of writing for a meaningful purpose. After all, God left me on this Earth for a reason.

Having researched so much about PTSD I decided to create something which I wished had already existed at the point I was diagnosed with PTSD, the PTSD: My Story Project. When reading about PTSD after my accident I found that there was a lack of information and first-hand experiences from PTSD survivors. So, I created a safe space for trauma survivors to share their own stories. I know that it isn’t always easy, often overwhelming, but it is so valuable and meaningful. And that’s often for both the writer, for who it is often a kind of therapy, and for the reader who it gives the reassurance that they are not alone and that better times will return. I believe there is power in stories, and I am so grateful for all the trauma survivors who have been willing to share their stories of healing and how they are managing their life as they get back on track. Together I hope we have been able to support others and help to fight the stigma surrounding mental health.

I hope that people will feel inspired, supported and encouraged by other trauma survivors who share their stories. And I hope that it will empower others to do so too. My email is always open to anyone who decides to share their story.

And why is it for me so important to spread awareness? So many people endured trauma. Research shows that around 70% of adults experience trauma and about 20% of those develop PTSD. Anyone can experience a traumatic event, trauma doesn’t discriminate. And what is traumatic for one may not be for another. However, I wanted to let people know that their story matters, whatever their trauma. All trauma is valid and there is space for them where no one will judge them, and where they can feel safe and supported.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is Katy, but my mum sometimes used to call me Smiley. Hence my nickname. I am a wellbeing writer and speaker, a mental health advocate, a mentor and an overcomer with a smile. Through words, written and spoken, I try to encourage others to walk in victory. I am an overcomer with a smile for a reason. Towards the end of 2020, I had a terrible accident. I was walking home from work when I got hit by a van as I was crossing the road. I ended up in the hospital for almost 2 weeks with a fractured back.

A week after my accident I started to experience flashbacks and almost two months later I was diagnosed with PTSD. I had so many thoughts in my head it felt ready to explode, but in the midst of difficulties and pain, I found my silver lining. Whilst I couldn’t walk, I had two hands and a heavy head which I needed to empty somehow. Being in a hospital in the middle of a pandemic, the only option was to take a pen and a piece of paper. And so, I did. After a decades-long break, I returned to writing. It became a kind of therapy for me, which later became a calling. It was a calling to do both what I love and to share my journey of recovery with others suffering from mental health issues to let them know that they are not alone. And so Journeyofsmiley was born. After receiving my diagnosis, I started to research mental health, especially PTSD, and later also about chronic pain. My faith and positivity have been helping me on my journey and so that’s what I share on the Journeyofsmiley blog. As the name says, it is my journey, the journey of Smiley. A journey of hope and healing.

All our talents, whether we play music, paint or write, are gifts from God and we should stay faithful to them. My love for writing started when I was just a child. At the age of seven, I had my first poem published in a children’s magazine in my home country, Slovakia. I am grateful that my grandfather introduced me to writing. He was a wise man and often told me stories that he made up himself. As a teenager, I worked for the school newspapers and later for the town’s local newspapers. After finishing college, I moved countries and did so again a few years later. I didn’t write for many, many years, actually since I left Slovakia. I felt like I wasn’t good enough to write in the languages of the countries I had moved to, but also no longer good enough to write in my mother tongue either. As a result, I had a decades-long break. Writing wasn’t something I was thinking about any longer until my accident. It was actually because of it that I returned to my passion and started writing again. I believe that there is always a silver lining to every cloud. That God has a plan and that, even if we don’t always understand it, it will turn out for the best in the end. Everything happens for a reason. There is a purpose in everything, in every pain and in every struggle.

But God’s plan didn’t end there. I had a positive response from my readers and many of them were looking for help, for some support. I had people contacting me asking for advice and tips, some just needed someone who would be there and listen to them, so they don’t feel alone on their healing journey. My psychology studies came to good use again. Psychology formed part of my studies at university and more recently I have completed counselling and mental health courses. I have always been eager to work on my own development and enhance my knowledge. There are some skills we can learn in life, but then there are qualities that set you apart from others. I have always been a people person and feel that everything I have gone through from childhood has made me a more empathetic person. These are qualities that others appreciate as they feel that I have the ability to put myself in their shoes.

I think it was probably this empathy that led to people reaching out to me via my blog. People started to ask me for help after their relationship breakdown, when they felt lost inlife or experienced loss, anxiety or burnout. And I am so grateful that I can be there for those who need help. That God is using me to be whatever they need – their friend, mentor or simply someone who is perhaps a step ahead of them on their recovery journey and willing to share their experience and knowledge. I still always get butterflies in my stomach when I get messages from people saying that my words have encouraged them and helped them to see the light in the darkness. Because after all, life is beautiful and it gives me the joy to help others to unveil the beauty.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As a wellbeing writer and speaker, I often write and speak about my own personal experience of trauma and healing. Doing so is not always easy. There were times when I was in tears writing or editing an article and occasions when I thought I wouldn’t be able to hold my tears any longer when speaking at an event. These feelings come unexpectedly, often when I think I am already healed from that particular experience. This is hard and requires self-love but being a PTSD survivor, I have learned that I need to be gentle with myself and not punish myself for my feelings. Vulnerability is not a weakness, it is something valuable, especially in a world that can be so fake and superficial. So, I encourage authenticity. And authenticity fosters resilience.

However, it is also important to me that others are able to see the light in my words. Therefore, whilst writing is so therapeutic for me, I also share my work once I can look at it with hope-filled eyes and a healed heart. If I feel that I still need more time to heal from a specific event I still write my thoughts down but they will be confined to my journal, for now at least. Not everything we write has to be made public at the same time. We have to remember that there is time for everything. There is time for writing, editing, and publishing…so don’t feel bad if you have to wait for the right time to take the next step or decide to share your personal thoughts and feelings.

Also, I am still recovering from my accident, so there are still good days and bad days. On the bad days, I might not be able to write, so instead, I record my thoughts so they are not lost. I’ve also learned that writing isn’t just about sitting at the computer for hours either, which is thankful given my accident prevents me from doing so. The art of writing is so much more…observing all that God created for us when I am out in nature on one of my walks, taking in the words of other inspirational writers when I can barely move and am bedridden and just listening to others and paying attention to what they have to say. Self and soul care is critical for writers. Our body is our temple and God created us not to be human doings, but rather human beings. Giving myself permission to slow down, take some rest and be patient and kind to myself are all crucial for my growth. We need to look after both our mental and physical health.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

My aim is to raise awareness of mental health and to empower, inspire and support others. Wouldn’t it be a beautiful world that didn’t stigmatise mental health? So, I am trying to do my bit to help achieve this.

With my words, I am trying to provide reassurance, comfort and ultimately empowerment to help others on their healing journey. The message of hope and resilience is evident throughout my blog but I also want to spread it further. This was one of the reasons why I entered an art competition that the charity PTSD UK organised a while back. And I am so grateful that my poem was chosen, along with submissions from a number of others, to be published in a book.

Two years ago, I wouldn’t have ever dreamed that I would be writing again but now I have had a poem published in a book and articles included in magazines and on large mental health organisations’ websites. Of course, I would rather not have gone through what I did, but then I remind myself that this is actually the reason I am where I am today. God is great and when one door closes, another one opens, often revealing something much better behind it. We just need to find the courage to open it. I believe that this is only the beginning, and with God on my side, I know there is so much more to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://journeyofsmiley.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeyofsmiley
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofsmiley
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/journeyofsmiley
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/journeyofsmiley
  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@journeyofsmiley

Image Credits
Juraj Mlynarcik (featured photo)