It started early, settling in at a fairly young age, and to be honest, that's how I hear it normally starts.

Junior high was rough. High school was rough. Life was rough. I couldn't explain to you why, but I knew something was not right with me. When I turned 16, instead of wishing for a car, or for a love life, I was wishing to be alone all of the time. There were times that I just dropped off the face of the Earth, only because I knew that if I hung out with friends or family, I wouldn't be acting like myself. I wouldn't be acting truly happy.

My grades were lacking, my friends were finding other friends that were more dependable than I was, relationships were failing, and my mental health just kept declining.

I would be in public and feel tired and "peopled out," as I like to call it.

I would be in bed, under every blanket with every light off at three in the afternoon, feeling lonely and wishing I had someone to talk to.

I never was able to win.

It wasn't until the end of my senior year that I realized there was an actual problem, and it needed to be fixed. I told my mom about how I was feeling, we immediately made an appointment for our family doctor, and before graduation day, I was in and being taken care of right away.

I felt as if no one could see how I was feeling, and nobody could, to be honest. Everyone else was busy with their own lives, their own problems, their own reasons to be sad or upset or stressed. I felt as if no one cared, but when I spoke up, everyone that I needed was there for me.

Through thoughts of hating myself, through thoughts of wanting it all to be over, through thoughts of wishing I could just run away until I found the end of the world, I was never truly alone. There were so many other friends of mine out there who felt the way I did, and they were waiting for someone like me to make the first move and say, "Hey. I'm not happy with my life, and I haven't been for a long time and I need help."

If you're feeling the same way as I did/am, I want you to know that you are never by yourself. I don't want anyone to have to feel the way I did, and I don't ever want anyone to doubt their self-worth. Reach out to resources that are available to you. Tell someone you trust and love. Do not be afraid to speak up.

If you know someone who seems detached, talk to them. Sometimes people just don't know how to ask for help. Trust me, I can back up that statement.

"You are enough. You are so enough. It is unbelievable how enough you are." -Sierra Boggess.