Dear Reader,

You are so much more beautiful than you could ever see.

I pray for you each night before I fall asleep. You cross my mind all the time and I wonder if you are doing okay.

Whether you are reading this because you are interested in what I have to say or because you are seeking help doesn't matter to me. I'll never know. What I do know is that we need to break the stigma surrounding mental health and that as many people should read this as possible. Suicide affects people of all ages in all places.

I know that everything hurts right now. I know that when you try to think about your future all you see is darkness. I know that you can't see a way out and that you think the pain will never end. It doesn't matter what caused you to feel this way. What matters is that you feel this, and there are people out there that feel or have felt the exact same way that you do.

You're probably thinking, What could someone behind a keyboard who-knows-where possibly know? About me? About what I'm going through?

I don't know what you go through every day. In fact, no one knows everything about you but you. But what I am 100 percent positive of is that you mean something to someone in your life. You might not realize whom or how much, but it's true. You have such an impact on the lives of everyone around you. And if you were gone, no one can or will be able to fill the hole that you would leave behind. The world without you would be very different; you have a purpose in this life, a purpose that only you can fulfill.

I want to tell you that it's okay to feel what you're feeling. There is no reason to be ashamed. You're not weak, or a coward. The pain you feel is completely valid. Don't convince yourself otherwise.

Right now suicide may seem like the best option because you think it will end the pain. But in reality, it takes away the chance of life ever getting better. Underneath the pain and heartache, you are beautiful, intelligent, and have a wonderful personality. You are so wonderful and I wish I could show you how I see you in my own eyes, but I cannot. So I will show you what I saw when I finally convinced myself that suicide was no longer an option.

I saw myself, alone. Missing out on all the incredible things that life would one day have to offer me. I would be taking away my future husband's wife, my future children’s mother. I would never graduate. I would take that moment and so many more moments away from my parents. I would take away prom pictures with me from my friends. Even the smallest things that are so insignificant.

And that’s not fair.

It does get better, I promise. In the moment I know it does not feel that way. I know how it feels and I know you want to give up now. But you can’t.

You can’t give up on a life that you have worked so hard to live. You cannot deprive yourself of all the wonderful things that life will one day have to offer you just because you feel that the world would be “better off” without you.

People that have never felt this way don't understand that it isn't something you can just turn off and that it won't magically get better. But the people that have been through it, and survived it know that the world doesn't work like that. It takes a lot of work from your end. No human being can do all the work and save you.

You can't sit around and wait for someone to finally see your silent cries for help. Most people don't know how to look for those signs or they don't know how to handle it when they do. It's up to you to speak up about how you are feeling. I know how scary that is. But if you want the help you need and deserve, then you need to ask for it. You are the one that truly knows yourself best.

There isn't some magic solution to fix all your problems and help you stop feeling this way, but you probably already know that by now. It takes a ton of work. It will get worse before it starts to get better. I wish it wasn't like that, but that's just how it is.

This is just a season and it will pass. I know it feels hard and like the world around you has turned in against you. I know this feeling all too well. It wasn’t but so long ago that I was wearing long sleeves on a warm day just to cover up the cuts on my own arms. I thought that my whole world was shattered and gone and that I could not possibly go on another day or even another second, but I did. I trudged on and worked through the pain. I learned that when it came to friends, quality over quantity should always be the golden rule. And most importantly I am learning my own self-worth.

I promise you this, in the end, it will be worth it. All the pain and hopelessness you feel right now will be worth it. You wouldn't still be on this earth if you didn't have a purpose. A reason. Don't give up on the chance of finding out what that is. Others have fought through this and come out on the other side. Odds are you know someone who has felt the way you feel right now, you just don't know it. If they can fight through it, you can too.

Life will take you places you never expected if you give it a chance. If you told me this time two years ago that I'd be sitting where I'm sitting and doing what I'm doing right now, I wouldn't have believed you for a second. Things will change. Please don't lose sight of what the world can do for you and what you can do for the world.

If you or a loved one are in need of immediate help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Calls are free, confidential, and put you in touch with a trained crisis worker at the nearest center. It's available 24/7, so please don't hesitate. There's also a chat option on their website for the deaf and hard of hearing. The site can also connect you with tips and resources to help yourself, someone else or the suicide prevention cause.