Essential Steps to Thriving: Connected

            

Not every day can be a great day. Some days are filled with sadness and doubt about who you are. Some days, it will seem like the entire universe is going against you and everything happens exactly how you do not want it to happen. Sometimes, you are stuck in a string of these kind of days, one after another, to the point where you start to feel like there is nothing you can do. You feel completely alone in the way that you feel and think.

In this instance, the important thing to know is that you are nowhere near alone.

It is estimated that there are 7.125 billion people in the world today, 316.1 million in the United States of America, 5.24 million in Minnesota, and 723,393 in North Dakota. In the United States one out of every four people have been diagnosed nationally, that does not count the countless others who suffer without a diagnosis. 

Looking at those numbers it should be impossible that we would ever feel alone, that we would never have someone to talk to.  You are one in over 7 billion, to say that there is no one to talk to is impossible when you realize how big the world is. 

However, knowing there are people out there who care about you is completely different from reaching out and asking for help. That is usually the hardest part. Letting down your walls and letting someone in. However, as humans we are not meant to live this life alone. We are not meant to be on our own with our emotions, whether it be joy or sadness. It is with our friends and with our families, that we find the joy and contentment that comes with reaching out and being a part of a community.

There are countless people for you to turn to, whether it be a school counselor, a family member, a national hotline, a principal or just a friend who will always listen to you. Letting someone in with your emotions and being connected can be one of the most powerful tools to helping you get better. A strong support group can bring you to THRIVE. 

There are days were it might seem easier to shut yourself off from the rest of the world, trust me I know, but it will not do you any good in the end. Take that risk and allow yourself to enjoy the company of others and allow other to enjoy everything that you have to offer in return. 

Remember that you are never alone; there are over 7 billion people in the world and what are the odds that you cannot find a friend in one of them?

-Student Board Members Abbie and Dylan