You aren’t alone

During my second year of high school, my friend and I had a huge fight that left me devastated. The whole situation made me sad, but a type of sadness I had never really felt before. I would cry myself to sleep at night and during the day I would pretend like everything was fine. Using my outgoing personality as a mask to my real feelings, I became the life of the party, constantly trying to make my friends laugh. When I got home, however, I was a completely different person. It started off as me being sad about my friend, but then my mind started wandering and suddenly I was just always sad. Honestly in that moment, that’s all I really wanted to be. I began to feel comfortable being sad, like it was just something that was a part of my day. 

As I reflect on that time, I think about what advice I would give to my past self or anyone struggling like I did. The thing I came up with is so basic yet so important: TALK to someone. This is definitely easier said than done, but bottling up your feelings will not help you. I understand this is such a difficult thing and I get how nerve-racking it is to choose a person to confide in, but talking things out and seeking help, or treatment if needed, can change your life so much. Now I know talking to someone is not going to instantly cure your pain, but it does open up the conversation in order to help you feel a little less alone in your journey. Without the support of my friends, I cannot imagine where I would be today. They listened when I needed them to and held me up when I was feeling down. As you go forward, please remember you are not alone, and there are so many people in this world who love you and want to help you.