Before I changed the way I thought about and viewed things, I was a close minded person that did not like letting people into my life nor letting them get to know me. I was only close with my friends, and it was very hard for me to make new friends. I was a very depressed person, yet I didn’t do anything about it and stayed stuck in the same place for a while. I always wanted to change, but I did not have the motivation to do it.

When I noticed that my behavior affected others in a negative way, I tried to listen and understand them better. I started apologizing for my actions because I wasn’t realizing how my words were affecting others. These flaws made me focus on myself and the others I cared about. I also discovered that I am a decent human and I just needed to get out of my comfort zone.

After a while of getting sick of my own bad habits, I started to work on myself, love myself, and I learned how to control my actions. I started thinking more positively and even meditating, which began to help me a lot.

I started going to the gym to make my overall health better and started to socialize more. I began to realize the relationships I had with others were getting much stronger. We might all have our differences but we always try to understand where we are coming from.

I chose to change when the people that truly cared about me, like my brother, told me I had to stop being this toxic, angry person. I stopped hanging out with negative people and overreacting. I am just breathing and trying to be calmer. I learned how to understand others especially in arguments and stopped wanting to be right. I accepted that sometimes I do mess up.

Moving to Bridges High School showed me different cool things as well. Maggie's class was super interesting because we talked about a lot of different things that I didn't even know existed. Her class taught me to be more open minded, be more understanding, and how to cope with things like depression and anger.

My girlfriend also helped me see how to change and develop into a better person. She would let me know that it is normal to feel like you are not okay sometimes. She taught me how to feel better, be better, and to not be so hard on myself. She let me know that I am cared for and loved, even at my worst.

Today, I can actually enjoy the little things and find happiness in things I couldn’t before. I am calmer, a lot happier, and thankful for the things I have. I learned to look at the future more positively instead of trying to control it. The future is not in our hands.

When my relationships improved I really started to enjoy life a lot more. I started feeling so much better about myself physically and mentally thanks to the gym. It helped me take away my stress, feel alive, and I learned that I can cope with sadness in a healthy, positive way now. I noticed that I dropped dead weight and gained a lot of people that actually motivate me to do better.

The person that motivated me most was myself, to be honest. If I am going to do it, I will finish and end strong for myself. When people ask for my advice I tell them that they need to find themselves and let things go. It will take time, and it is totally worth it. Being successful with your mental health is a lonely road because some people really do not understand. The people that will be there in the end are the people worth crying for and being there for as well.

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