I have been receiving mental health services for over two decades now. I have been working for over a decade and a half. I have come across many other opportunities to interact with others. A former director of day services spoke to me before they left. They said I am seen as an amazing person “in the eyes of my peers.” For a long time, I never wanted to take credit for that. It once became too late. I found myself in a state that I didn’t want to be in. I realized I had to start to make a change for the better.

One time I had a meltdown at day services over something that happened. It was hard to overcome it. I did not realize that someone who looked up to me was in the same room. I was showing them a brutal part of me that I would not want them to see. From then on I worked on being a better person at day services. We all realized that we have our own struggles. I have come so far in life from where I was. I realized that I did not need to be acting in the way I did.

A big part of the reason that I acted the way I did has changed. Even though this happened, I held on to that anger for a long time. I was unwilling to let go of my feelings about the change. I couldn’t see that things were happening for a reason. Overall, things were so much better because of it. I had to lead the way. I needed to show others that I didn’t have to hold on to the anger. I had been holding on to it for so long. I needed to live in the here and now. I should not waste time being a prisoner of my past. I had to be willing to move on. I chose not to be a prisoner of my past. I realized there was no reason for me to hold on to those feelings. I needed to see the real reasons to inspire others and improve myself.

Sometimes, it’s hard to take credit for being the inspirational person I can be. Yet, it keeps me going. Doing what I need to do to be successful helps me. It comes easy now, unlike when everything was just so much harder. Even though there are still those hard moments, I still overcome them. The journey over the past seven years has shown me that things like medicine matter. It plays a powerful role in my mental health. It helps me be as successful as I am today. It also helps me become the person I can be as I continue to learn and grow more.

It can be hard to see what the future holds. But, I have the inspiration and knowledge to keep going in the right direction. I am caring for myself. I know that so many people look up to me and see the person I can be. Someday when things continue to improve, I can advance in the world. I will be the person that my peers expect me to be.