This I Believe

“Everything will be okay”
By Kiana Perez

I believe that obstacles in our life help us grow into better people. The obstacles that seem impossible to overcome are the most important, I would think. They're the ones that help you grow especially.

One summer ago, I had a very bad time with my depression. I’ve had depression ever since I was about eight years old. I’ve had traumatic experiences with my family and then my own issues. They may not seem severe to most people but to me, it was as if it was never going to end. When I got into middle school, it had gotten worse, I’m not sure why. It had gotten to the point where I wouldn’t eat, I would harm myself, I would do all these things that caused harm to me, mentally and physically. I didn’t make it noticeable though. No one knew what was going on with me, not even my family because it didn't affect my schoolwork. That was everyone’s excuse as to why they didn’t realize. Although, I’m sure they were lying. Reason as to why I didn’t show it was because I didn’t want to be more of a disappointment. To me, in my eyes, I wasn't good at anything. I always felt as if no one loved me. I always felt as if no one cared about me. At that time, I had learned to hate myself because there was no way someone could help me. I hated myself because I felt that I wasn't worth anything to get help.

That was before coming to school here started. Ever since I came to a realization, I learned that I needed to be independent. I had to do things on my own. I had to be there that for myself. If no one was going to help me, I had to do it for myself. I still have trouble doing that but I'm trying. It changed me quite a lot. My mindset has grown to the point where someone can tell me anything and I'll be able to adapt to it. All I want to do is to help others because I don't want them to feel the way I do. I wouldn't want my family, friends, even strangers to feel that way because that's the worst feeling possible.

I am grateful that I went through that otherwise I wouldn't be who I am today. We go through things everyday. Some small, some big, we learn and grow from it. Everything will be okay at the end. It always is.