Recently, I received a card in the mail from someone saying that I am such a strong person with everything going on in my life. That can very well be true and at times it can be a struggle to put all the pieces together, but one thing about me is that I am resilient and just do what I need to do to live the life that I must. It is just what my family has always done.

It is no secret that I have had my own personal struggles while dealing with many family issues the past several months. One of the biggest things was learning to instill my faith again after many years of not being able to understand it. I had to have faith that everything was always going to work itself out for the best and I would do whatever I needed to do to manage the situation that I was handed.

There are times when I am behind closed doors that I get upset with how things are in life. But then I remember that I am in such a good place right now and even a few months ago I was not taking care of my mental health in the way that I needed to. Having the situation with my father being as struggling as it was at the time for my family made me understand the necessity of following the orders that I needed to take care of my mental health.

Even looking back over the six years of living independently, there has been so much more that has made me stronger and be the person that I am today. There were times when I just wanted to give up at the battles that I was facing, but through the saving graces of so many, I am still here and going stronger than ever.

I find it important to be in the moment everyday doing my share of what I need to do to keep myself engaged in life, so I am being cognizant of doing what I need to do to stay well. I am slowly learning that it is not all about keeping engaged though, as there is also a need to practice self-care more often too. Self-care is not selfish and is just as an important wellness tool as medication, journaling, therapy, or anything else that is used to stay well.

I have overcome so much adversity in my life I realize that giving up is never an option, no matter how hard it can be to want to give up. I know that life would be so much worse if I did not do what I needed to do to stay well or have the sense to want to give up at what I needed to do. The past few years have had so many challenges and changes, but I have persevered so many of them and have become such a better person because of not only the opportunity of getting what I need, but also because of those that were there for me and took a chance on me when I felt that I least deserved it. That is what the caring person does, and that is why I am such a caring person.

I keep strong and resilient because that is what I have known is the best way to stay well when it seems like there are so many struggles in my life. I have bounced back from adversity before, and I will be sure to keep on keeping on because I know I can.