Fight for yourself.

"'You tell me that you're hopeless,

You want your life less than your death, But if you jumped into a pool right now, I know you'd hold your breath, So I know that it's not hopeless, And if I showed you all that you can become, I know you change your mind, You might have hit rock bottom, But it's the perfect place to start, Where the only thing that you can hear, Is the beating of your heart, You have to almost lose it, To remember what you had, And that there's been a share of good times, Mixed in between the bad, So don't wait for the ending, Until your last breath starts to leave, Before you finally remember, How much you love to breathe."

I used to partake in self-harm.

I used to hate myself.

I used to feel so lost and alone.

I know the feeling of the cold bathroom floor against my face as I laid there- sobbing so inside my head-overran with thoughts.

But those thoughts- they ranged from nothing at all, to the most extremes.

But, I could never find the words to express how I was feeling to anyone.

I couldn't even explain my own thoughts to myself.

So, I showed my emotions with burns on my skin.

At that point in my life, it made sense.

I needed a way for an outlet when my words failed me time and time again.

But, that burning sensation upon my skin never let me down.

It made all those scrambling thoughts set focus on one thing-burning.

Today, I still deal with anxiety and depression.

Hell, some days I'm so inside my head that it's crippling.

But, I've been exposed to so much more feeling than the sting of a hot ion against my skin.

I have found my voice in writing.

I've learned to fight for myself.

For anyone struggling with depression and anxiety, you are not alone.

You are not broken.

You are alive.

You are strong.

You can do this.

Push on soldiers.

Xoxo