Your Story's Not Over Yet

Ever since my sophomore year of high school (about four years ago to be exact), I have felt an unusual call to bring awareness to mental illnesses and suicide prevention. My freshmen year of high school was not the best for me. That was the first time that I had ever experienced anxiety and depression. It felt as if I was in a rut, going nowhere. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. On average 44,965 Americans will lose their life every year, and with every suicide comes 25 attempts. TWENTY-FIVE. I realize that talking to someone can be scary and for some, like me, a sense of pride may come from not wanting to take medication or for sharing their story. I felt as if my story wasn't as "sad" as other's, therefore it wasn't important. But here's the thing, YOU are important. YOU were put on this Earth for a specific reason. YOU can KEEP GOING. Listen, speak out, and have hope, because there is so much more to life than what you're going through right now.