Just over a year ago, I was at an unbelievably low point in my life. Although I couldn't admit it to myself back then, I was a little too curious about what it would be like to die. I wanted to know what people would think and who would care and what it would be like.

It was that kind of thinking that eventually landed me in the mental health unit at Allen Hospital during the first week of school last year. I was resentful while I was sitting on the uncomfortable bed with the thin, rough blanket, but now I'm glad I had the opportunity to have a truly life-changing experience.

It's not that I left that hospital as a changed person. It didn't work like that. At first, I didn't want to get better. And I certainly didn't want to sit through boring counseling sessions, talking about my countless problems.

Counseling went better than expected, and it soon became one of my favorite times of the week. Eventually, I got to the point where I had to make up problems and exaggerate them just to have something to talk about. I thought that I would be sad to discontinue my counseling, but it was actually a very positive reminder that I no longer needed it.

I can't say that I noticed a change in my outlook right away. But I do know that sometime over the past year, I grew into a positive person who is no longer filled with self-loathing. I am better because I want to be better.

The best part is looking back on how sad and unhappy I was and realizing that a complete transformation only took a tiny chunk of my life to take place.

Staying positive isn't always easy, but knowing that the way I choose to look at a bad situation may help inspire someone else to try out a new perspective makes it worth it. Above all, I hope that my story will make a single person think that there is something to look forward to and live for even when it seems that there is nothing.