“I once reached that size zero, that number, that body that I strived for so much. And it gave me exactly what it is. Nothing.”

“Nobody is perfect, but we can change the world by shining the light on someone when their world gets dark. Today I live for others.”

“Trust the process, feel the fear, and do it anyway. Recovery is everything I ever wanted and more. It’s worth it.”

“My journey may not be pretty, but it has molded me into the person still standing here today.”

“This is as much me telling my story as it is thanking those who have made it possible for me to have the courage and strength to speak it.”

“Beyond all of my pain and heartache, there is a beautiful world out there that I want to be alive to experience.”

“My anxiety has taken away a lot of things, but it has given me so much more.”

“I want to show up for people during their tough times and be there for them. I want to be present and listen, to let them know they are not alone.”

“I am who I am, and I am proud and not ashamed of my mental illness. I fight the fight to live. I fight the fight to love who I am.”

“I thought that the rest of my life was going to be like that, but there is a way out. Trust me when I say life is amazing once you find that freedom.”

“My youngest son, Benjamin, died by suicide in 2010, which catapulted me a million miles away into a strange new existence.”

“My anxiety and depression brought me here. They brought me to connect with people I never would have otherwise. They got me to write. They got me to see the world and others in a new light.”

“The right to peace in my life does not have to be earned, and I will tell myself as many times as is necessary.”

“A death, and particularly a death by suicide, teaches us lessons about life through a prism of puzzles.”

“The biggest thing that has helped is just having a clear sense of what works for me, and what doesn’t. Being surrounded by nature. Making deep, personal connections with people.”

“One day, I will be that person that I hoped to become when I was a child; maybe not the exact same, but I know I will be living happily.”