When I look back, it saddens me to think that I was so hard on myself - when I was younger, I thought I had to look like everyone else, but I learned that beauty comes from how you feel about yourself. Once I started taking care of my mind, body, and soul, I realized that I didn't need to conform to what's "normal" and started to love myself.

My tattoos say "Stay strong." "Stay" on one wrist and "strong" on the other. I'm able to look at them and be thankful for being alive.

Sometimes it just feels so amazing to finally stand up for yourself. I highly recommend it. Life is too short to be taken for granted.

The mirror can lie. Doesn't show you what's inside. And it, it can tell you you're full of life. It's amazing what you can hide just by putting on a smile.

In treatment, all of the negative things I did were stripped away and I had to start processing my feelings.

You are worth more than harming yourself

I learned that you go through things, you deal with them and that's what empowers you and ultimately makes you a happy person.