"I've struggled with anxiety and depression most of my life. It has only become worse and more prominent throughout high school and in my early years at my university. I remember being a young child and feeling like the world was crushing me.

 

I never understood mental illness until recent years. I often feel bad for having anxiety. I feel like I drag my friends and family down or burden them with my thoughts. It's always easier to just hold them in and push them down. I think to myself 'It's not a big deal. Stop worrying about it'. But, when the time comes, those thoughts explode and you can't hold it in anymore.

 

My mind was like an iPod- my thoughts on a constant shuffle with the volume on full blast. There were times where I contemplated suicide just to make those damn thoughts and worries stop. Last winter I attempted it. Many of my friends didn't understand. I was silently screaming for anyone to help me. I was drowning in my own mind.

 

Now, a year later, I am still struggling with anxiety, but I know how to control and how to deal with it. I am in therapy, I know my triggers, and I know what I can do to help myself be a better person.

 

Anxiety is something I know I'll always have, but it's how we to deal with it that makes a difference. I choose to wake up every day and be thankful that I am still here because I know many people haven't had the chance to get the help they deserve."