Depression has become a very hushed topic in our world today, however, it’s very real, and a lot of people live with it every day, including me. When I was 16 years old, my aunt passed away after a brave fight with breast cancer. Shortly after that I watched my family fall apart; family get-togethers stopped being fun and easy and start to be more of a chore. With that, I felt like I had lost a lot of love and also, my life meant nothing to me. Please keep in mind, I never once mentioned this to someone who could have helped me. I didn’t think that it mattered because I was watching my family go through something far worse; loss. Then, and to this day, I would rather help millions of people before even thinking about helping myself.

I quickly began to neglect my school work and a lot of other important things in my life. My grades slipped but I didn't care, mostly because I thought that I could just fix them by the time school ended. The rest of the year flew by and when the time came to pass all my classes, I failed. Going into the next school year was tough because I knew I had not only failed my classes but failed myself. I became disappointed in myself and I could tell that I had also let my parents down, which made me realize what I was doing to myself. I spent that year being told that I should stop looking into big universities and start looking at community colleges because my grades wouldn't be good enough. For someone who already has depression, being told that you are not good enough hurts you even more. The longer I listened to people telling me what I should do, the more I wanted to do the exact opposite.

I soon understood that the only option I had after that, other than to give up completely, was to pick myself up and set goals. With the help of my amazing high school guidance counselor – who I still thank to this day for helping me tremendously – I started working towards looking at schools and deciding what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I made the decision to do anything I could to help people like me; kids who were going through tough times and felt like they had no one else to turn to. I worked hard and got my life together. Now I am enrolled in a great university in the hopes of becoming a high school guidance counselor, and my only wish is that I can one day inspire someone the way that my guidance counselor inspired me.

So many people feel the same way I have every single day, and most of the time they go without notice. But I believe it’s time to bring attention to the fact that even if you have suffered from depression or anxiety or anything else that no one can see, you can get better and you can make it through anything. There are always people out there who care about you and want to help you, but sometimes we get lost in how hurt we might be that we don’t ask for help. I am nowhere near perfect, in fact, I have dealt with depression since that year and it was far worse than anything I have ever been through. But that doesn’t stop me because I know what I am capable of and, as much as I want to quit working towards my goals sometimes, I know I will be very happy when I achieve them.

It also helps to have a really caring support group of loved ones backing me up constantly. I have never felt so blessed to be where I am in life. I firmly believe that every person with depression or anxiety or any other illness also deserves to feel the way I do. People shouldn’t have to suffer and think that they are all alone in their fight. I promise you, even if you don’t want to talk to your family, there is another person just around the corner for you to confide in. Someone can care for you and not be a family member or close friend. And if even if you have never dealt with depression, you can help someone who is going through it. If you see a friend or anyone who seems to be struggling with something in some way, talk to them. You have the power to save someone's life by simply asking them how they are doing and listening to what they have to say. It is very possible to get better after dealing with depression.

As long as you can remember that you will get through it, no matter what, your life will get better.