Everyone's mental health has affected them in some way, some turn to drugs, some distance themselves, some stop doing the things they love, and there are many ways it affects them. About a year ago I started hanging out with some bad friends, they got me into things a sixteen-year-old girl shouldn't do. As I was doing these things and hanging out with them, I eventually got sad and I didn't know how to cope with it. My only way of coping was going out and being with those friends. At the time I had also gotten a boyfriend. I bet you are thinking oh geez and a junior in high school has no business being head over heels for a boy. But I was, and my friends encouraged it as well. My boyfriend at the time cheated on me, and I was heartbroken. Again I had no idea how to cope so I kept going back to the bad habits my friends were putting me through. After me and my so-called "Love of my life" ended things, I started going to therapy. It was a great way for me to talk about how I felt and what was going on to an outsider who barely knew anything about me. My therapist wasn't going to tell me what I wanted to hear. She was going to tell me what I needed to hear. After time went by I started drifting myself away from those friends. I was beginning to be comfortable in my skin and started to love who I was. I started envisioning how I wanted my future to be, I started making plans. My relationship with my parents got stronger when I finally realized I wasn't doing myself any good by hanging with them. I have multiple understandings of the world, a quote I always thought to myself during my hard times was "Is it better to speak or to die" meaning is it better to speak and express my emotions so I am free, or is it just better to die and hold it all in? In the end, I have learned that your mistakes do not define you as a person, if someone else is concerned about what your mistakes are and has nothing else better to worry about there you there is probably deeper issues that they don't want to talk about.