About Alexandria Swansen

Hi I’m Alexandria. I have two beautiful and rambunctious pets named Rocket (the dog) and Runa (the kitten). Luckily, they both enjoy cuddling and will even wake me up in the middle of the night just to do so. I also have a very patient and kind boyfriend who can follow the weird way my brain works and makes me feel less strange.

I was born prematurely and grew up dealing with health issues due to a heart condition. I was put on various medications throughout my childhood that had many different side effects, some of which were short-lived but others, like my speech impediment, were not. They also greatly affected my mental health, as did other things like bullying, a chaotic home life, and a string of abusive romantic relationships. Through those struggles, I found herbalism, which  helps with my health issues, a Western medical doctor who sees the benefits of plants, and a great therapist.

Finding help and a therapist you feel safe with is very hard—it took me well into my 20s . Though strides have been made, there is still a lot of stigma regarding mental health, especially in the first responder community. Working as a 911 dispatcher sounds cool and looks fun on TV, but it does come with A LOT of baggage. You hear people die, get shot, stabbed, raped, or assaulted on the phone; you’re on the phone with children while their parents try to hurt them or hurt each other. You can be having a chill (because we can’t say c**m or q**et or shit hits the fan) day, and suddenly someone threatens  to shoot up a school, or jumps off a bridge, or there are two houses on fire next to each other, or on opposite sides of the city, tying up all your resources. You always have to be alert, always push off the adrenaline dump for 12-hour shifts, and always stay calm when you hear traumatic things but aren’t physically there to stop any of it. 

My experiences have shaped who I am today, I don’t regret any of them but there are some lessons I wish I’d learned earlier!  I am thankful for my friends, they have always been my safe space, my family, and the people in my life who love me enough to call me out on my shit. They remind me every day how far I’ve come on my journey, and the dark places I never want to return to again. From dark to light and all the gray in between — it’s why I’m passionate about mental health and why I love horror movies and Halloween!

On my website you will find links to organizations that are fighting things like sex-trafficking and the overwhelming mishandling of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the United States. You’ll also find links to organizations that help people struggling with mental health and addiction. But please if you do not find what you are looking for contact your local county and ask them what resources are available in your area.