Music has been my therapy for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, Hannah Montana got me through my crushes and un-true friends. In middle school, Demi Lovato reminded me that I'm the s*** whether the boy I liked liked me back or not. In high school, my problems began to be about more than just indecisive boys and fluctuating friendships. I began to dread getting out of bed every morning, I had lost interest in the things I used to love, I became someone who I didn't recognize, and I pushed away the people closest to me. These intense feelings called for a new type of music.

Most of my new therapy music was not uplifting, bubbly music. It was dark and deep and I needed to hear it. Instead of making me feel even more down and sad, this music made me feel strong. These songs had a positive beat, but the dark lyrics were able to put my exact feelings into words, which was something that I couldn't do myself at the time. Each song was a journey that expressed how even though life beat me down, there was light in the days ahead, there was hope in the future, and there were limitless possibilities for the next day— I just had to make it there.