Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, a day to engage in a global conversation about depression, suicide, and what all of us can do about it.
For this reason, I want to share my story -- because depression impacts all of us, even the funny ones. Including me.
After chemo I didn't know what to do. I wasn't suicidal, but I also wasn't alive. I kept crying, couldn't get out of bed, participate in social situations. I wasn't myself. After a couple near breakdowns (which often involved store security officers, I'm embarrassed to admit), I sought help.
After a lot of therapy and medication to help balance my brain (note: not to cure me, but rather get me to a place where I could think rationally), I realized life is hard. Things happen, they don't always go as you expect, you get sad. Sometimes you need a little help, somebody to talk to.
You know what else? Somebody is always there. Whether it's a friend, a family member, a doctor, a teacher, or even a friendly stranger on the other end of a lifeline, you're not alone.
If you need to talk, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Watch my story, and share your own. You can join the conversation using #WSPD14 on Twitter and Instagram, or below in the comments.
The only way we can help each other is by talking to one another. Let's talk.