I do not know you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I hope you will pull through this. You are loved, even if you can’t see it, and I want you to know that. Just stay strong. I know how difficult that can be when you’ve held your head high for so long, but that’s proof right there that you can do it. You have to have faith and confidence in yourself that you are worth the space you take up on this planet. I’ve been there, I’ve been in the exact spot you are standing right now. And believe me when I say I know how easy quitting seems. But think about everything that you will leave your fingerprints on. Friends, classmates, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents, pets, neighbors, the cashier at the grocery store that always smiles at you, the dog walker in the park that still remembers when you said hello, and the bus driver that looks forward to their route because of the silly outfits you wear, or the conversations you have. My point is you have had an impact in some way on a ton of people. You have stood your ground on this Earth for all the years you have been alive. That should be enough convincing. You have lived your life for this long, and yes, maybe things are horrible, maybe things have been horrible for years. But that doesn’t mean that things won’t change. My life took the worst possible turn when I was only a month into being six years old. I can honestly tell you that up until about a year and a half ago, I wasn’t even able to tell you what happiness felt like. If I had succeeded in my attempt on my life, I would have died without ever being truly happy. But now I stand here, five months away from being twenty one years old, and life has taken so many twists, turns and long paths. I have been where you are. I cannot stress that enough. I have also seen the light. As pathetic and stupid as that sounds, it’s the goddamn truth. I have been in the depths of Hell and my mind was so clouded that I couldn’t even see an hour down the road, let alone think of all the things that would happen a year down the road. You don’t need a blade, a bottle of pills, a closet rod and rope, a gun or a bathtub full of water to dictate your life. YOU are in control. YOU have the power to stay, and to keep on going for another day. Life will be difficult. You will get into terrifying situations, you will meet people that you will wish you never had, and you will feel horrible things that you didn’t even know where possible. But in addition to that, you will get into awesome situations, you will meet people that will change your life for the better, and you will feel wonderful things that you didn’t even know where possible. I am a recovering addict from self injury as well as a sexual abuse survivor. I am here, alive, to tell you that life will get better. If anyone has read this whole thing, I applaud you. It’s not easy to confront your thoughts or emotions. But I hope that by reading this, at least one of you will take the next step to getting healthy and taking care of yourself. It will be scary. It will be hard. It will be full of tears and lots of work. But it will be worth it. And that I can promise you.