“Over the past year I started having more and more problems with my mental health, culminating over the course of November to February with four different suicide attempts.
“I had started self harming by cutting myself. I finally overcame that, and now I have tiger stripes on my legs to cover any scars, and also to say, ‘You did it! You are done cutting yourself!’
“When I was finally diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, it felt so good to know what to call what I was experiencing. The meds they gave me helped so much, that they actually changed my life within a week of being on them. It was like, ‘Wow! Sleeping is way easier now! I can be alright the entire day!’
“I am moving forward in a healthy way. I just finished my thesis, and I am officially graduated. I do illustrations as a freelancer, and I am revamping my portfolio and reaching out to different employers instead of just treading water at my parents house.
“If anyone is battling any kind of mental illness, I would say to make sure to reach out in the form of therapists, in the form of psychiatrists, and to make sure to let the people around you know what is going on. You’re friends are going to see your moods anyway, so they will be comforted to know why, so they can help you and be there for you. The more you are open about it, the more they can help you, and the more your support network will grow.”
~Asbury Park