'I don't have it together': brave mum gets real about mental health struggle

Mum-of-two Cierra Fortner made waves recently when her astonishingly real post about mental health got people talking. 

She shared the picture after a supermarket cashier told her that she "seemed to have it all together". 

While she accepted the compliment, Fornter wanted to tell the cashier that there's far more to her then seeming to have it together. 

"Today I was at Walmart doing my weekly Friday shopping," she writes. "When the cashier says to me 'I see you in here all the time, your kids are always dressed cute, behaving and you just seem to have it all together' at the time I just thanked her and giggled because that's far from the truth but as I drove home there was more I wanted her to know about me." 

And what she wants the cashier to know is that her life is far from perfect. She reveals that she had mental health issues. 

"I want her to know I battle a personality disorder everyday with anxiety and depression mixed and I'm a two times suicide survivor.

"I want her to know that I can't always get myself up off the couch to feed them anything more than frozen pizza and cereal." 

It's something that she struggles with daily, as well as dealing with the struggles of being a mother. 

"I want her to know that my son is late for school 3 out of 4 days because I regularly forget what day and time it is, despite the toddler size calendar in my kitchen.

"I want her to know I have those 'I'm losing my shit' moments when I have to lock myself in the bathroom and cry.

"I want her to know I wasn't always the most active mum because I use to work 80 hours a week and go to school full time and Jayce spent many days and nights with his grandparents."

At the end of the day, she doesn't have it al together- and that's perfectly fine. 

"But most importantly I want her to know I don't have it together and may never have it all together. I don't know a mother out there that has it all together but everything we do is done with love for our children and that right there makes you the perfect mom and in our children's eyes we most definitely have it all together.

"From one exhausted mum to another, you're doing great, have that melt down, let your kids eat the crap out of that cereal and take care of yourself always." 

The post has since received over 100,000 shared and even more likes. 

Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Fortner explained that she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at the age of 15 and depression and anxiety after her mother died in 2010. 

"I manage my mental health symptoms by making sure there's always time for me in the day", she said. "Even if it's just watching reality TV after the kids go to bed."

In the case that her mental health should become unmanageable she and her husband have a back-up plan. 

 "My husband and I have a discussed a plan of action, but I also have my consular's direct number to call if I feel like that is starting to happen."   

While she was surprise that her post went viral, Fortner says that she's always been very open about her mental health. 

"My mental health is very easy for me to talk about. I've always been open to talk about it because I realised there's lots of others out there dealing with it and it helps people really understand who I am as a person."

For now, she wants other mums to know that it's okay to put themselves and their mental health first. 

"It's okay to have a cry. Always take time to care for yourselves along with your kids – find a hobby, a few good friends, or a great show to watch and set time aside to do things for yourself."