Getting diagnosed with a mental illness as a teenager was hard. It was messy. It was scary. I was navigating completely foreign territory.

Enter doctors, drugs, hospitals. All while everyone else was in high school.

I had a truly amazing support system. I talked to people with mental health issues. But they were all quite a bit older than me. I was missing someone, one who I think could have made a huge difference. I did not have a true peer, another young person who had been through it all before I did. Someone to learn from, to look up to.

A while back I came up with a mission of sorts. I decided that I wanted to be that person that I didn’t have when I was younger. I want to be that person who is open, and unafraid to talk about the tough stuff in life. I want to be able to give advice to that person who is struggling. Advice that is pulled from personal experiences. From mistakes I’ve made, and the small wins I’ve had. I want to be able to give people hope.

I want to be living proof to you that people can make it through a lot. Even though you might be doubting yourself the whole way. I want to be able to tell you that they are much stronger than you think, and that you are doing a good job.

I want to be someone that can actually relate to the amount of pain that you feel.

I want to be able to encourage you, as someone who lives with a mental illness, that life is worth living.

One of the most rewarding things of my life has been hearing from young people. It makes me grateful that I have made a difference, and it helps me believe that what I am doing is worthwhile.

It encourages me to be open, to share.

And maybe I could have been the one I never had when I was younger.

That fills me with emotion. Along with the feeling that I belong here.

What a feeling, to belong. The feeling may be gone before tomorrow, but for now, I will treasure it.