A 10-year-old girl suffers from her first bout of chronic depression and doesn't understand where her childhood joy went. A 13-year-old girl relapses, worries herself sick and crash-lands in the Emergency Room with stomach cramps and cold sweats. A 15-year-old girl suffers from her first (of many) dissociative anxiety attack while on vacation with her family and honestly thinks she's going to die. An 18-year-old girl breaks out in a stress rash one week before her high school graduation. A 19-year-old hits bottom after a messy breakup and decides she's had enough. A 20-year-old girl loves herself, travels the world with the people she loves dearly and smiles bigger every day.

So what changed? One word: everything.

If you've guessed that this girl might be me, you've guessed correctly. Throughout my life I've dealt with the (at times) crippling effects of chronic depression and generalized anxiety. I didn't understand it for many years. I didn't know that what I experience is a very real illness that affects millions of people every day. I had no idea that my cold sweats, stomach cramps, tunnel vision, accelerated heart rate and foggy brain were symptoms of a chronic anxiety disorder. I never fathomed that it was a "symptom" of something serious when you felt numb and were unable to get out of bed in the morning.

Upon figuring out what was going on in my body and mind and learning that it is entirely treatable, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I began taking medication for my depression at 19 years old, after an episode of hysteric crying and months of depression— I couldn't eat, sleep, or even move some days. I felt lifeless. Within a few weeks I could feel the medicine kicking in; I had more energy, my appetite was restored, etc. All this was wonderful progress, but I knew that medicine alone was not enough to truly fight my condition. I wanted to fight back tooth and nail— I wanted to fully reclaim my life...

So I did.

I knew my life had to change in various ways. I could not continue to do the same things and expect a different result— it simply doesn't work that way. I spent plenty of time searching, wondering and asking God what I could possibly do to change my outlook on life. I don't believe I could have done it on my own, but by the grace of God I finally found some answers. God lit a fire in my heart and pulled me closer to Him; He showed me all that I already had and all the potential He had placed before me. My eyes were opened to a plethora of possibilities and for once I began to seize them.

For example, I became a vegetarian and began my yoga practice. Being a vegetarian makes my body feel more energized and it's better for the earth. I feel more compassionate toward— and connected to— all the animals and people around me. I feel like a generally better citizen of Mother Earth than I was before. I put much more thought into what I feed my body and my body thanks me in return. Yoga, on the other hand, relaxes my mind and strengthens my body. The endorphins released during exercise are natural mood boosters (sort of like candy for your brain) and stronger muscles aid me in every aspect of life.

I also began meeting new people during this time and I became more open to new ideas as a result. When I became more open to ideas opposite my own I made more friends and became far less self-validated and argumentative. I stopped being shy. I spoke to everyone, laughed with everyone; I wanted to learn to love everyone around me because they were all unique and beautiful in their own way. I totally changed my outlook. I wanted to live fully alive with others and feel truly connected to something real— I wanted altruistic (rather than virtual) human relationships. I went on multiple dates and eventually met the love of my life (with whom I experience the most altruistic relationship I've ever had, every single day). I went to festivals, screamed at the top of my lungs and danced like no one was watching. I reconnected with old friends and made many new ones. I traveled, I became a rock climber, I changed jobs, and I took up a few leadership positions in my college community.

In the past couple months alone I have traveled to Cincinatti for a huge music festival, moved to New York City and hauled off to Europe for the two week excursion of a lifetime. The 10 year old girl from my past would have been terrified of all this change, but a decade later she embraces everything life throws at her and seizes every single opportunity that comes her way. She laughs louder, dreams bigger and doesn't take "no" for an answer. She doesn't have all the answers, but she is definitely doing something right. By the grace of God she has been redeemed and she never wants to take her life for granted.

Though the fast-paced, outgoing life isn't for everyone I do believe we all have the power to change our outlook for the better. I can attest to the potency of prescription medicine (which I agree with using if necessary), but I can even more so attest to the majesty of simply having a better attitude. Staying positive, humbling yourself and relying on God to control the things you can't will completely change your life. Doing things you enjoy—even the little, simple things—and doing more listening than talking can enrich your life in ways you've never imagined. Like I said, I don't have all the answers, but when I rely on the One who does and leave the rest be, I find that I am happier than I have ever been. When I stop to listen to others and understand their point of view I find peace in my own heart and no quarrel in theirs. I slip up constantly—I'm only human—but I plan to continue this for as long as I live.

For a year now I have been living my best life and even when the going gets rough I keep on keeping on. I try my best to do no harm, fear no evil and take everything one day at a time. I give it up to God and I don't sweat the little stuff. Even on my worst days now, I'm far better off than I was in my past. So, what changed? Everything. My entire outlook on life. And, to me, THAT is true happiness.

"I am no master, I know nothing. But I am a servant, and I know something." - Nahko Bear and Medicine for The People