For the young adults that can't find the courage to get up in the morning to face the same daily struggles, I am here to tell you that you are not alone. You can either be the victim to your pain, or you can be your savior. I have learned that the only person holding you back from happiness is yourself. I am telling my story in hopes that I can alleviate the pain that hides within people you walk past every day. I am making myself vulnerable at all aspects, and I will never do anything less.

I personally struggle with depression, severe anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. These different types of disorders have stemmed from my childhood and continue to grow unless I remind myself that I am stronger than my struggles. Your mental health can break you, strengthen you, and repeat that process until you say to yourself, "I want to be happy, so happiness is what I choose."

I have one parent in my life, while my mother and sister are completely absent. I will never understand how my mother could leave me behind, and I don't understand the hatred my sister has always had for me. I don't know what family feels like. Having experienced such struggles has made me want to understand the question of "why me?" I have turned that question into an action in which I help others who are struggling themselves. Having only my father in my life is bittersweet for a number of reasons. Most importantly, I have realized that one is better than none. We have each other, and that will always be enough. Carrying dead-weight of anger is only detrimental to mental health and only causes more suffering. The anger and pain that my mother and sister have instilled in me is far worse than having one person, my father. I will never understand the trauma and darkness that I have seen, experienced, and been given, but I would not go back and change it.

Experiencing such awful things has made me want to help others through similar situations. I want to be the person I needed when I was younger, and I will gladly be that person for anyone and everyone. This is my goal, this is my mission; you are not defined by your problems. Being very familiar with rock bottom has given me traits that I would not trade for a "perfect life." For a long time, I was very silent and numb to anything around me. That didn't change until I decided I wanted to be open and share my story in hopes of getting others to a comfortable state of mind. Voicing your story does not only empower you, but it inspires others who might need a support system. We can't go back and fix what was broken, but we can certainly mend ourselves and become stronger. We always do.

So, to all of those who are or have experienced pain, I encourage you to voice your struggles, and make them into something beautiful. When you think you are broken, remind yourself of all the times you've picked yourself back up. Be proud of how far you have come, and the mountains you have conquered along the way. You are not your story of problems, you are your own book of solutions. Tell your story with your head up, and your hopes higher.