#HALFTHESTORY

#HalfTheStory is a global community that encourages individuals to share parts of their lives that exist outside of the standard social media story— life unfiltered.

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Dear Internet, it's complicated. @folkrebellion

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#RG @jennewsome00: Over the course of my life, I've been hiding. Hiding what I want, what I feel, what has been done to me. After going through an extremely abusive relationship and ultimately, forced into sex, I shut down and turned away from my family and locked out my friends from what had happened. Looking at the scars and bruises from the abuse progressed from making me psycically ill to sending me into long periods of time where I could not speak or do anything but cry, then ultimately pushed me into pretending the marks were from silly accidents. I did not admit to myself until a few years later that what happened to me was wrong, and I'm still struggling with accept that I did not cause it. I refused to admit that it was what had spiked my anxiety, my depression, and my inability to make friends or process any negative event. Acknowledging what happened and realizing you need help is no cake walk. For me, that road was run by my love for dance. I joined a new competitive dance studio and found a group of amazing teachers and dancers to be the best version of myself. I realized I needed to face recovery head on, and strive to be there not only for my team, but for myself. Five years later, I am set on a path in my life at college, studying dance of course :) and would never have accomplished so much without acknowledging what needed healing. #halfthestory

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🖤 No words.

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This week is #mentalhealthawarenessweek, a very important time for our community. Follow along as we educate, increase awareness about mental health, and #getloud on social media. If you haven't submitted a story yet, follow the instructions in our bio! ☝🏼 .

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#RG @jbirdsuper: "I always put people and things before I even think about myself. For the most part, it's not that bad, but I have those moments. Those moments when I'm not doing that great and want to talk about how I'm feeling, but there is this thought in my head telling me not to, because people don't want to hear that someone isn't doing good. Not only that, but I'm always constantly hard on myself especially when it comes to meeting new people, so to anyone that has meet me and hasn't really seen me as a person, I'm sorry. It's just really difficult a lot of the time, because I'm afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing, so I don't say anything. To the people who have only seen half of me, I want you to know that I am not great, depression sucks, but I'm working on it. October is mental health month to raise awareness of mental illness, which is a legitimate thing that a lot of people deal with. #halfthestory #breakthestigma"

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#RG @evelynnkess: "#malasana Open your hips to open your heart. • Earlier today, on National Women's Health Day and the end of National Yoga Month, I had the honor of chatting and shooting with my friend Larz (more below on her and #halfthestory). Larz has been a friend and kindred spirit for some time now and I'm so proud of the work she is doing! Storytelling allows us an artistic edge to communicating with the world and the stories we choose and the ways we tell them frame the space we live inside. • Let your truth be your story. There is beauty in everything! Namaste kids. • @HALFTHESTORY celebrates hidden human talents, passions, beliefs, and struggles that connect us on a deeper level. The platform was started by my friend @livinlikelarz, a social media strategist and influencer, who wanted to create a community for individuals to share authentic stories and increase positive social media interactions. • #nationalwomenshealthandfitnessday #nationalyogamonth #truth

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#RG @aliciasanz_: "Today is bullying prevention day and I partnered with @halfthestory to continue to raise awareness on this issue. As most of you know I play Alexa Medina in Netflix's #RealityHigh - a famous YouTuber and the most popular (yet, mean) girl in high school. Her bright side of being a celebrity on social media is just #halfthestory. She feels miserable, empty and that’s why she bullies Dani. She humiliated and embarrassed her and her whole school made fun of her. What if that was you? How would you feel? Guys, this is not ok. It is not ok to hide behind a screen to hurt someone, it doesn't just stay on-screen, it has real live actions and consequences. Cyberbullying is a real issue and we have to end this. Let’s choose kindness. Let's choose compassion. Let's choose to connect with people, rather than putting others down. For me, Alicia, instagram is also just #halfthestory. I struggle with rejection almost every week. Being an actress from Spain living in LA is not easy. Not when your family is so many miles away. But, you don't see my sweat and tears on here. You don't see how this city challenges me and makes me grow. I have fallen many times. But that made me who I am today. A strong, hard worker, independent woman - a side of me that I am starting to show more of, but it's taken a while to get there. What’s your #halfthestory?"

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#RG @gracevanderwaal: "Tomorrow kicks off mental health awareness week, and I’m proud to be a part of my friend Larz’s @HalfTheStory project. I met @livinlikelarz when she produced my music video for my song Moonlight. I wrote that song about one of my friends who was struggling with depression. It’s about remembering when only a short time before, everything was perfect and we were dancing in the moonlight. It taught me how important it is to share my personal stories to let people know who have had similar experiences know that they’re not alone - without being cliche and having to outright say you’re not alone, but doing that through my songs instead. I’m still growing and learning, but through this all I’ve stuck to the same morals that it’s so important to stay true to yourself and remember to always do what makes you happy, no matter what anyone else thinks. #HalfTheStory (at Tictail)

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🎊🙌🏼 We're throwing a BASH to celebrate our 2nd BDAY @tictail. Join our community for beats by @kimbabyboo and sips from @gemandbolt. Swipe 👉🏼 for deets & link in BIO to RSVP!

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#RG @recoveryisarollercoaster Most people from the outside would think I have a “perfect” life. There is no such thing as perfect… I come from a wonderful family and had nothing short of a perfect upbringing. I have the most supportive parents in the world, a great sister, amazing cousins, grandparents, aunts and friends. I was involved in many different sports growing up. Volleyball, field hockey, swimming, cheerleading and soccer. I was academically blessed, part of it being hard work the other part being genes, and I was the happiest kid around. Then life happened.. somewhere around high school is when my mental illness took over my life. I am now “diagnosed” with two eating disorders, Anorexia and Bulimia, to which I flip flop back an forth between. I have major depressive disorder as well as an Anxiety disorder. It took me years to admit and accept these things. They are apart of who I am, and may always be with me. But they do NOT define me. I’m still just a 22 year old girl trying to find my place in the world, but its just a little harder for me. I have come such a long way since January 2016 when a failed suicide attempt and hospitalization made me realize that I was tired of letting my disorders destroy and control my life. I have been to treatment centres, through HOURS of counselling and dietician meetings, found an amazing support group, and taken anti depressants, all to help me move forward to live the life I know I can. Its been a long journey and I know I have a long way to go in my recovery, but hang on for the ride, we can do it together. I share so openly my story to let others who are struggling know they are NOT alone 💗 #halfthestory

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✨🤘🏼Our community blows us away every. single. day. If you're in NYC, drop us a note. 📸@erinyasmeen #halfthestory (at New York, New York)

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🤘🏼😛📸 The past two days have filled our hearts and memory cards. Thank you to the generous tastemakers who joined us to change the #nyfw conversation. #halfthestory

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6️⃣ shoots down, 1️⃣4️⃣ to go. Stay tuned for fresh approach to #NYFW. Watch it all go down via insta stories 👆🏻 (at Lower East Side)

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😎THANK you @nowthisher for helping us tell share our story with the 🌏.

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🤦🏻‍♀️ The things we do for the perfect shot. #halfthestory (at DUMBO, Brooklyn)

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#RG @_lovelace I feel fortunate to share business success stories, positive client feedback, and exciting book signees, but that's only half the story to the reality of my business life... a fraction, in fact. The truth is, I work from the corner of my couch, often with my daughter by my side, as I forge through the day while on bed rest. Lately, at nine months pregnant, I long to sit at a desk or work at the park, but I can't test the waters in fear I will birth our second child prematurely. Nevertheless, I'm thankful beyond words for a successful business, a healthy, playful daughter, and a wonderful husband who does whatever he can to make my long days more enjoyable. #halfthestory

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✌🏼Coast-to-coast: We took a field trip to @mercyhighsf today to talk about our immersive workshops and programming. Check out our website for more info! (at Mercy High School San Francisco)