What has inspired me to select a career in the mental health profession is because I struggle with mental health for quite some time. I want to bring awareness to this topic so that more people will be able to get the mental health help they need. Being judged because you things going on inside of you is no fun or fair feeling. For example, after giving birth to all 5 of my children I had noticed that I had began staying in bed a lot. I would complete my daily house work and feed my children of course, bathe and dress them but after that I'd just stay in my room. I felt like I could not leave that room no matter how much I'd want to do so. I've noticed that this has become a norm in my life and I'll go through these bouts of just staying in one room of the house and not leaving. I've stayed in the house for weeks at a time without leaving. I've even dealt with suicide ideation. This is a real struggle but people often judge me and call me names and they do not understand how badly I'd love to just be able to get up and go. However I've become a prisoner of my mind and it is difficult to overcome. I learned that I suffer from PTSD depression and anxiety. I absolutely do not want to take medication and understand clients who don't. I have realized that I don't have to really go through anything for this to just happen to me but it does. The cycle is so aggravating because here you are just thinking of all the things you want to do that day and it comes and you have no ability to do so. It's like mental paralysis and I just can't seem to shake it or make it leave. It comes along all by itself and when detrimental things occur, it gets worse. I have been divorced now for a year and when my ex-husband decided to finally be a father, he pulled a stunt to take the children from me. A cruel joke is what I felt like it was because less than 90 days he gave them back but in the short period of time that he had them I really didn't move. All of my hair fell out and I felt as if I was glued to the one space on my sister's couch. He didn't let me see them for a month and it drove me even sadder. It's hard being a Christian because people think that God is a magical wizard who just waves a Magic wand and poof all of your problems disappear. That is so not the case. People automatically say things like oh give it to God and let him handle it it or you've got God and he has you so you'll be fine, but it's not that easy. Trials and tribulations have a way of shaping your mood and behavior and dealing with the root of the problem instead of the fruit of the problem is where you have to start. Mental strength is difficult to achieve if you've been struggling for so long. It is easier to go to a doctor and get treated for a physical ailment but mental ailments are not as simple. As for me I feel as if it were easier to go to the hospital and push out my babies than it is to deal with my mind on a daily basis. I have 5 beautiful children who deserve an active mom who will interact with then and not just go to school cook and stay in the bedroom all day long. I don't want then to experience this feeling either. I want then to go out in the world and enjoy life. Mental health is so important because people do not realize how mental impairments can hinder your ability to be your best self. As I stated about my depression it impairs me physically which is not productive. I often say you can be in the best physical shape possible and still die from a heart attack or stroke because of stress. Stress is a real thing and it stems from things going on inside of your mind because of environmental factors. At the age of 16 years old I was diagnosed with pseudo seizures due to stress. The way it was explained to me was that my body had undergone so much stress in my short time but I bottled it in and did not express it so it was how my body decided to deal with the misplaced stress. It was the scariest feeling that I had ever experienced a d did not know how to feel about this being so young. I realized my stress had derived from depression. Like most people I dealt with my depression in unhealthy ways. Excessive sex, marijuana, alcohol, pills and other risky behaviors. By believing I was treating my depression I was actually making myself worse. I was digging a deeper ditch for me and I actually attempted suicide during this period. I was prescribed zoloft and seroquel because I have always suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember. People often make the mistake of believing that marijuana is a way to treat their depression because it provides a euphoric solution temporarily but it further deepns the depression. Substances are never the answer to treating any types of mental health illness. Seeking professional help is the best answers for mental health issues. It allows you to understand what is going on inside of your mind and what you can accomplish by working through the issues that you go through. You'll also learn new ways and techniques to help you cope with stress healthier than turning to substances. We also know that substance use is not good for your physical health either. Therfore abandoning the use of substances to treat mental illnesses is a better choice. I want to be in this profession because I want to help people who are just like me understand that you are not crazy or whatever other labels someone can misplace on you because of your differences or your struggles. I want people like me to have a voice and know that they are heard and understood. Even if they are suffering beyond what I am they too still deserve the opportunity to achieve a healthy mindset. This profession will also allow me the opportunity to apply the knowledge that I give to my clients to myself for the sake and purposes of achieving my own mental health. I must say that I have learned al lot and am learning a lot along my journey and it is really helping me as I continue to go on in my life. I also want to help remove the stigmatization that continues to infer that mental illnesses are not real and they are just labels deterring peoples thoughts that suggest only a certain group or race suffer from mental illness. Often times people are discouraged from seeking help because of all the negative perspectives or outlooks on having to see a therapist, counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist. They are afraid it will make time seem crazy or that they will have to take psyche meds but the truth is the decision is always up to the client. The journey is the clients journey and we are merely cheerleaders who rooting for the success of our clients. We want to see them strive to be the best they can be and achieve every goal that is made in their journey. I believe that being a counselor will help me to advocate for other populations that's are ignored and are in need of mental health care. They are in need of not just meat health care but resources tat they may need for daily living. For example, a population I have been studying for quite some time is the prison population. People often judge them and automatically assume these are criminals and do not deserve any human rights because of the crimes in which they have committed. This not true not all people who go to prison are ruthless criminals who are incapable of maintaining a lifestyle that is suitable for them and their families. These people deserve to have a second chance at life. It is their human right to have the necessities for themselves and their families. This career will be a rewarding journey for the rest of my life. I am thrilled and excited to help people from all walks of life who are just like me. Together we can make a difference and make the necessary change for the well being of others.