Wonderful humans! This article is me sharing a very personal experience regarding a sensitive issue that is extremely close to my heart. If you are triggered by content about self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts, now would be the ideal time to turn back.

I've always been someone who is pretty good in separating heart from head. Business from personal. Believe it or not, people tend to be extremely surprised that I have struggles in life- or just a personality in general. What? There's more to Celine than dog memes and winged eyeliner? Shocking!

What I put on social media for the world to see is what I want the world to see. Roughly two percent ( 2.5% on a good day) of my life is what people see on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Yes, there is definitely more to my life than meaningless Twitter rants and self-deprecating jokes that get repeated at least twice a day.

Truth is, behind all of the self-proclaimed aesthetically pleasing pictures, I am also someone else. I am someone who is 18 months clean of self-harm. It's not something a lot of people know about me. It's still difficult for me to talk about, but I know that sharing my story might help someone who's in need. In honor of World Mental Health Day (October 10th), here is a letter that I wrote to my sixteen year old self.

Hey there.

You aren't yourself right now. The you who's staring at those pills you've been hoarding for months, the you who picks apart razors in a frenzy, the you who wears jeans and oversized sweaters in 90 degree weather to hide the tiger stripes on your body. The you who let anger change the way you look at life. That's not you. I know that you barely have mental strength to make it through the day. I know that you feel like you're going to be like this forever, but I promise you, you're not.

I know you're hurting. I know you're frustrated. I know you're sad and confused and all those pent-up feelings that had been ticking like time bombs finally exploded. I know you feel like your world is crashing down, like there's nothing to live for. I know you feel like you're a burden and that the world would be a better place without you, but that couldn't be further from the truth because you do matter. You matter so much.

You are better than this. Life goes on, and you will learn that. You will find a group of people that love and accept you for you and not just the idea of you. You will learn to take down those walls and open up to people. There will be hurt, there always will be- but you will know how to handle it in better, healthier ways. You will realize that the battle is not yours, but it is the Lord's. You're going to make it.

"The enemy always fights the hardest when he knows God has something great in store for you."

Love,

You.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self harm, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1800-273-8255.