"I have suffered from Anxiety and Depression for as long as I can remember, and certainly before I could put a name to what I was feeling. My mom dragged me to about five psychologists from the time I was 7-years-old to 15, but I never understood why.

 

When I was 16, I got in my first relationship and I didn’t realize it was really harmful for me until much later. After 2 and a half years, and when my anxiety was the worst it had ever been, my boyfriend broke up with me. After that, I was extremely suicidal. I almost killed myself one night, but my friend talked me down at 3am.

 

After that, I realized I needed help. I found a psychologist who diagnosed me with severe generalized anxiety disorder, that came with occasional panic disorder and social anxiety, as well as depression. After starting medication and therapy, I improved significantly.

 

I went off to college and things improved even more, until the summer after my freshman year when a close friend of mine from high school died by suicide. This was devastating for me, as someone who had been at that low point but had improved.

 

Nothing is ever going to be perfect and mental health is something we will all have to always work on. I often struggle with my mental illnesses in college. But, I know that no matter how bad things get, it can get better. I also know how hard it is to believe those cliché words, but as someone who has experienced that, and still sometimes experiences it, I want everyone to know how much they matter.

 

Mental illness does not define me, or you, or anyone. You are strong, you are important, and you are not alone."