Nevertheless, She Persisted...

Have you ever taken a moment and thought the smile on your friend's face was just a mask to hide the pain? When you look at someone, all that you see is their outer appearance. You don’t even bother to think about what may be going on in their life. We only focus on ourselves as that is our priority.

Mental illness is not like a common cold. You have to constantly work at it. Every day, you have to decide whether it is worth the fight or if this is the day when everything ends. For some people, you may think, “How can someone feel this way? What could possibly be so bad in their life that it would be worth taking your own life? Every person struggles differently. Some people can just brush it off; where others take everything they hear to heart. I was the person that believed everything that I was told to be true. It took me many years to realize that I truly was struggling. I was the person that everyone would turn to when they needed help or support. I trained my mind to just put my problems aside, as it was easier to deal with other peoples’ issues than to deal with my own.

Even subtle negativity or personal jabs from others had me doubting myself. I was slowly reaching a breaking point, getting closer and closer to a wall that I eventually crashed into. I had fallen as low as I could get and I was in such a dark place. I had made a plan to end my life. I had lost all hope in myself and I had decided it was not worth the fight anymore.

But... just when I believed I had lost everything, I had a friend reach out to me. I did not want help, not even from one of my closest friends. I felt like I was alone and therefore was needing to face my struggle by myself. This lady helped kickstart my brain. She helped me to see that it’s okay to ask for help. From that point, I was then connected with a set of woman that has become a guiding light on my journey. They saw my struggle but also saw the fuel behind me—the desire to fight and face this devil head-on. They were there for me through the good, bad, and ugly. They helped to talk me down when I felt that I had lost my way. Sometimes all you need is someone just to say “You are worthy! I am here. I am not leaving you now.”

I won't say that the fight was easy but in the end, it was worth it. There were times when I lost track of the person I was trying to be but no matter what was going on, my support system was always there. I am able to look back at that dark point and see how far I have come. Through all the tough times, I have now discovered my why. I have also learned that, with support and motivation, you can achieve things you never thought were possible.

So if you or someone you know is struggling, it’s okay to reach out for help. Everyone deserves to have someone on their side. And always remember that you are not alone, we all have our own things, and everyone needs a little extra help from time to time.