Good Friends Make a Huge Difference

Starting in my junior year of high school I started to become very depressed. In the fall my grandfather died, which was very hard for me, and then later in the winter one of my good friends died in a tragic and unexpected accident. For me that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with, and still is to this day. She didn’t go to my high school, so I didn’t have close friends around that knew what I was going through. I felt extremely isolated and alone since they didn’t ever want to talk about it for fear of upsetting me, but all I wanted to do was talk and be comforted and know I had people there to support me. My parents were very worried about my mental health and depression and I believe they thought I was going to hurt myself (which was never on my mind) because I wasn’t getting better and they could see how alone I was. They discussed having me see a psychologist. It never went that far, but sometimes I wonder if that would have helped. I began cutting myself away from my friends more and more, into senior year as well. Then about a year later in the winter of my senior year, a friend of mine from my high school passed away from an unexpected health problem. I couldn’t believe it was all happening again. I could feel all the same emotions come rushing back, but this time it was different because I had friends that could relate to how I was feeling. I made new ones who were there for me and even though it was still incredibly difficult to deal with, I had a much easier time that time around because I had that community and friend support. Coming to IC, I have found some really amazing friends who have always been there for me. My grandma passed away a couple weeks ago and I really couldn’t have asked for better people in my life, they were there to comfort me and really showed that they cared and that is just what I needed. My mental health has definitely improved over these last couple years and I especially credit the great friends I’ve made here.