I have been thinking a lot about the supports in my life. I have been thinking about the fact that there were many years that my supports were able to keep me alive. Now, I don't say that lightly. I had times when the suicidal thoughts were becoming so overwhelming that I was seriously considering death. I remember one night I messaged a friend saying that I was done. I was at the point that I was ready to die. He asked me to call him. Since it was the middle of the night, I sneaked into the garage and sat in my mom's car. I don't even remember what he said to me when I called. But he was there. All I needed was for someone to be there.

Supporting someone with a mental illness can seem like such a daunting task. However, sometimes it is not always a complicated process. I had a time when I was feeling very low. A friend of mine asked how I was and I simply said "I'm having a sad week." Instead of feeling uncomfortable about this response or trying to come up with a way for me to not be sad, he asked "can I do anything to help?" I then said that I could use a hug. I didn't need a big intervention. I just wanted a hug from a friend.

So often I needed someone to just be with me. I didn't always need a major intervention and there are many times that I would not have accepted anyone's advice. I really just needed someone to be with me.