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11| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,F ebruary 1,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca From the latest information on local politics, to minor sports scores and what's going on down the street, get it all online. CURRENT. COMMUNITY. CONNECTED www.waterloochronicle.ca CITY LIFE Visit waterloochronicle.ca for more coverage Legend has it that folding1,000 origami cranes willmake a wish come true.For Lena Schreyer, they're also an icebreaker. "Over two years I folded 1,000 cranes and then I wrote little notes for each of them and just hand them out to people I see in the com- munity," she said. "I hand them out at events where I volunteer and it's just a little act of apprecia- tion and acknowledgement say- ing: 'I respect you and appreciate who you are.'" The Grade 12 student at Rock- way Mennonite Collegiate ulti- mately aims to start discussions around mental health and well-be- ing. Her wish is to help people be- lieve in themselves and respect the feelings of others. Even though the 17-year-old high school student appears fo- cused and upbeat - she's preparing for exams and plans on studying medical sciences at university next September - her adolescent years were anything but. Schreyer began struggling with mental illness at age 11 and was admitted to hospital at the age of 12 for an eating disorder. She puts a lot of it down to "soci- etal ideals" and sibling competi- tion with an older sister. "I put a lot of pressure on my- self to live up to her," she said. "I also used to be a really competitive soccer player and got injured that year, so I had to stop playing which took a big part of my life away." Schreyer said she felt the need to become someone else and fell into a rut of perfectionism and negative psychological processes. Her eating disorder led to weight loss, which spiralled into anxiety, depression and self-harm. After being diagnosed with an- orexia nervosa and generalized anxiety disorder, she was in and out of hospitals for the next sever- al years, later being admitted into a residential program in the U.S. where she stayed for six months. Most of her studies were complet- ed online until she was finally able to attend high school in person for the first time this past September. "I just never was able to get feel- ing good," she said, recalling being discharged multiple times, then struggling at home. "I was pretty unmotivated to live. I didn't really see a future. "I think a lot of why I wasn't able to get better and stay at home was because of my personal mind- set - how I felt other people didn't believe in me, and I didn't believe in myself." Schreyer doesn't purport to be a doctor and understands first- hand that mental health challeng- es require clinical attention. "But in the same sense it's a mindframe, not only from you but the people around you," she said. Though she was fortunate to have a supportive family and med- ical team, things could have turned out a lot differently. In- stead she's turned a corner and shifted her focus to helping others. "I think it's really important to have this community of people who can support each other," she said. "I feel like there's a big gap in society where you're just supposed to be good at everything and al- ways be more. I'm really just try- ing to educate others to create awareness and to try to create kind of a community of well-being where people are supporting each other." With a grant from the Universi- ty of Waterloo Peace Innovator Program this past fall, Schreyer was able to create a website for her very own outreach initiative dubbed Bee Cuz. Her three philosophies are: the power of passion, the art of mas- tering self-belief and the science of happiness. So far she's done one public speaking engagement at her own school, but hopes to do more in the months ahead. "It's a big step for me," Schreyer said, conceding that public speak- ing isn't the type of things you'd ex- pect from someone in recovery. But it actually helps ground her. "Getting out there and sharing your story really starts a conver- sation and I really think that's the only way change is ever going to happen," she said. "It's really about starting con- versation and helping people un- derstand that we all have struggles and you shouldn't be ashamed. You can own up to who you are and not conform yourself to expecta- tions." While Schreyer said she's had a lot of positive feedback, it's been difficult for her to create connec- tions. "People seem really unwilling to work with a teenager," she said. Her 45-minute presentation can be modified for different events and focuses on mental health well-being as opposed to ill- ness, she stressed. "I want it to be a message of in- spiration and empowerment that will teach people to love their flaws and accept failure to get back up. I just want to inspire others to see that things are possible and that you can make change if you set your mind to it and believe in your- self and others." More can be found at beecu- z.org or by emailing contact@bee- cuz.org. Schreyer also hopes people will buy the T-shirt that's emblazoned with the word BOLD, along with a bumblebee. "People say that aerodynami- cally, the bee isn't supposed to fly because it has very small wings and a large head that should weigh it down," she explained. "But it's said the bee refuses to accept that because it believes in its strength, and so it flies any- way." Lena Schreyer holds up one of the origami cranes that she uses as a conversation starter around mental health and wellbeing. She's hoping to talk to more people as part of a public speaking initiative called Beecuz. Bill Jackson/Metroland CCrreeaattiinngg aa bbuuzzzz ffoorr mmeennttaall wweellll--bbeeiinngg