Thirty-one million, five-hundred and thirty-six thousand seconds in a year. These seconds make up moments that we all must live through, sometimes making us feel like we won't survive. Looking back now, I realize how these moments and my mental health experiences have changed me and influenced my life in ways that I never thought possible. Growing up, every day, I heard berating threats and insults thrown out in a house I could barely call home. It didn't help that I was also made fun of at school because of my looks. All I wanted was to feel that feeling that the other kids felt when peers socially accepted them, but instead, I got told that I had a personality that was both "weird" and "unlikeable." Social media didn't help, either. Suddenly, I had too much acne, my chest was too flat, and I now had to be aware of every single imperfection on my body because God forbid a woman to be a woman. I was eight when I first attempted suicide, and eleven when the thought of dying alone became a regular for me because I never thought I would be good enough. I wasn't even fifteen when I became severely depressed. I had bottled everything up for so long that I never really knew how bad things were, and I was letting all I had felt and my emotions bring me down at once. I lost myself, and I let my exhausting mental health overtake who I was. When I was sixteen, I realized that I didn't want to die; I just wanted my pain to end. That was when I took ownership of my life and learned that you must be willing to improve, or nothing will change. I did everything that I could do on my own, as I wasn't able to get experience or professional help in the mental health industry. I found hobbies and communities where I felt like I belonged, but most importantly, I found myself. These experiences with mental health shaped me into who I am today. I am an empathetic person and someone who always understands the other side of things, no matter the situation, because I believe that everybody has a reason for their actions. I hold my relationships with others dearly, no matter who the person is. I always have the mindset of never leaving anybody when things get hard because I have been on the other side where nobody was there for me, so I will always be the person that I wanted in my life. I do my best to make everybody feel like they matter and hold close to my belief that everyone should be treated equally, because I never was. My past has helped me find my passion in life. I want to help children and plan to become a teacher later on. I want to be the person I never had in a child's life and be that positive role model every kid needs. Whether it is something as simple as making someone's day better or something like making someone's life more bearable, it makes a difference, and I want to use my position to make that difference. There are thirty-one million, five-hundred and thirty-six thousand seconds in a year, with each second making up moments- even the unbearable ones. However, these "unbearable" experiences have changed me and who I am. I may not have gone where I had initially intended, but I ended up where I needed to be, where I am now, and I know that with perseverance, anybody can, too.