To Write Love on Her Arms

Day 21: Today is a To Write Love on Her Arms day. I think the official date is November 13th but there can always be more then one TWLOHA day. :)

"To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery."

On TWLOHA day people write the word love on their arm. It's supposed to encourage love and let people know they are not  alone. TWLOHA is especially dear to my heart, because their website helped me a lot. About a year ago I was trying to get help on my own for my cutting, depression, and suicidal thoughts. I stumbled across the TWLOHA website one late night. I started crying when I started visiting the sites they listed like self-mutilators anonymous and websites dealing with suicide. I saw that there were thousands of people experiencing the exact same thing I was. I saw the link for how to find a therapist and through it I was able to find my current therapist. TWLOHA probably saved my life and helped me so much. I strongly believe in the cause they are working towards.

It can be scary to ask for help. I was really nervous when I asked my parents to take me to the therapist I had found. I promise you though that it's worth it to ask for help. When my therapist wanted to admit me into the Children and Adolescent program (aka the loonie bin) I was scared. I was imagining straitjackets and crazy people. It ended up being just one floor of a hospital that had rooms, a kitchen, and a rec room to hang out in. I was able to wear my own clothes and I got to do my makeup every day. The kids in there didn't hold a plastic fork to my knife and demand that I take them to their leader. The teenagers in there were there for depression, suicide, substance abuse, eating disorders, and anger management. I think one kid was there just because he got caught smoking weed by the cops.

I know a ton of people that could have been admitted to that program based on their drug and alcohol use alone. That made me feel better knowing that the program wasn't just for people like me who were suicidal. The point of that whole story is that I was scared to go there. The inpatient program ended up helping me a lot and I'm glad that I went there even though it was scary at first. It can be scary to get help but you will be glad when you do. I love everyone who is dealing with depression, cutting, and suicidal thoughts. I've been where you have been a hundred times over and I've made it through to the other side. You can too. <3