BRPROUD LOUISIANA WOMEN: CHELSEA BORRUANO, YOU AREN'T ALONE PROJECT

by: Carly Laing
Posted: May 21, 2020 / 02:49 PM CDT / Updated: May 21, 2020 / 02:49 PM CDTBATON ROUGE, LA (BRPROUD) – May is Mental Health Awareness month, and a local woman is using her anxiety and depression to help others going through the same struggles.
Chelsea Borruano works in marketing, she’s a Louisiana native and a twin, she’s also one of thousands who struggle with mental health. “For 28 years I lived with something that I just couldn’t put a name to,” Borruano said. After years of fighting with herself she decided to get help. “I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.” She never knew so many others were battling the same struggles. “I shared my story, and it got a lot of really great feedback. So many people basically just told me thank you, I thought I was alone in this,” she said.

Her struggle inspired her to create the You Aren’t Alone Project, a non-profit that provides resources and support for people struggling with mental health issues. “The whole goal is really to build a community to support a community of mental health and wellness so that nobody here every has to feel alone,” Borruano said.

Now, in the COVID-19 era, her organization is needed more than ever. “I think it’s been completely vital right now more than we could have ever imagined,” she said. “So we’re going to try and keep that momentum going and offer resources that are very specific to what’s going on right now especially once we’re able to come together again.”

Her efforts aren’t going unnoticed. “It’s getting a little bit more comfortable, but I still think we need to change the conversation. So taking that a step further into talking about it more in a natural way to where you don’t feel uncomfortable opening up and then seeking help too,” she said. “I don’t feel uncomfortable going to the doctor if I’m feeling sick, but for some reason I feel uncomfortable going to see a therapist, so we want to make it more natural.”

​She hopes to inspire others to seek help so that one day the stigma surrounding mental health will be gone.