I've struggled with my mental health for a very long time. When I think back on my experiences the very first time my mental health took a turn for the worse was when I was 15 years old. I've dealt with my struggles alone for the majority of my life up until recently. Coming from a religious background there was always an internal struggle about what was right and wrong and I honestly felt like I couldn't be honest with anyone about what I was dealing with for fear of being judged or having religion thrown in my face instead of being heard first. In my personal experience, God and my religion has and is very important to me and has kept me grounded enough through my walk in life, but struggling with a weak mind there were many times I didn't want religion or God to be thrown in the mix of my struggles. That mindset is what was the cause of my internal back-and-forth struggles. At 15 I met a boy that I was infatuated with from the moment I met eyes with him and we began to date. Five months into the relationship everything was amazing and I was so in love. Things took a turn for the worse when we furthered our relationship and he changed completely. He became very verbally abusive and manipulative and being at such a young age, naive, and inexperienced he had a hold on me so deep mentally a started to lose myself for the two years we were together. It was so bad I did start to self-harm, not eat, and fell into a deep depression. I did for some time want to die but the one thing that was keeping me here was my belief in God. To this day I will say if it wasn't for my faith I wouldn't have made it this far, because after coming out of that relationship my depression has stuck with me over the years and I do still struggle with it every day. When you experience this level or worse of mental issues it is a daily battle to manage, but it can be managed with the right help. At age 26 now, I would say at 15 was the lowest point I've ever been at in my life, and dealing with my depression has put a strain on my relationship with God. I do my best by surrounding myself with other believers who are stronger in their walk with God to keep that positive energy around me and when I need to be guided back to God when my low days come. My depression has impacted my relationships with my family and significant others, but I am aware enough of it to not let others in my life feel they are the cause of my mental struggles. With dealing with my depression, I also deal with anxiety and both have impacted my career goals. Countless times over the years major self-doubt has been cripuling to the point it has prolonged the process of getting my bachelor's degree. I would go back and forth from "I can do this" to "I can't do this". Last year I made the decision to take my mental health more seriously and I started seeing a therapist and started medication to help manage my issues. It has been an overwhelming struggle but I am choosing every day to continue seeking help and advocating the importance of mental health so I can have a chance at a successful future.