Mental health is an essential fabric of my being. To achieve my personal and professional goals my best foot must be placed forward, consistently. When I signed up for the U.S. Navy as a machinist mate, I knew that it would take mental stamina as engineering was an unfamiliar industry. When forced to change the way I reacted to stress, make decisions, and relate to others for several months my perception of the world changed. Additionally, my mental health took a hit, and it became hard to focus and learn new things. Becoming aware of the change meant stepping outside of myself. After leaving the military I decided to put my health and well being first. This meant working out, seeking new experiences, challenging myself, and keeping a journal. During the pandemic emotions resurfaced that made me seek assistance from mental health professionals. Slowly and surely, I dug myself out of the mental rut of living away from family and confined indoors . Once more my perspective shifted, and I saw tangible things in my life change for the better. After much research and getting over preconceived notions, I enlisted the help of my new service dog Odin, a goldendoodle. Without fail Odin provides structure to my day, laughter, and improved mental elasticity. Life has shown me that perspective can take me far and it is important to seek assistance when needed and to prepare myself both mentally and physically for my ambitions and motivations. Giving mental health the same effort and investment as I do physical health has paid off exponentially and will remain intertwined with my daily habits. A future goal is to lobby for legislative changes that will make service dogs more accessible to all veterans.