Hopelessly cliché I know, but love is the best gift that you could bestow to anyone. It’s so simple yet it’s the most powerful, change inducing force in existence. If it were not for my best friends and beloved, I would not have believed in love. I saw how subtle yet indomitable the love everyone has for me was when I saw the changes it made in my life.

1. I have a higher tolerance for failure. With every test I failed and every scheduling failure, I know that I cannot afford to cry. I just find the next course of action I have to take and trudge through.

2. No more crippling lack of self-esteem. If these wonderful, bright people in my life accept me and embrace me for who I am, I can’t be all that bad.

3. Panic attacks and anxiety no longer threaten my sanity. With everyone’s kind words of comfort (and an occasional “YOU IS KIND YOU IS GOOD”), I calm down and remain sane another day.

4. My emotions have come back to some extent. Due to personal circumstances and simply too much anxiety, I have subconsciously repressed most of my emotions. I know that people would not have noticed because I am known for being jovial. However, I have not felt much genuine happiness until recently.

5. My desire to stay alive is much more present than before. I’ve remained mostly suicidal free for a year now.