My entire life I have been defined by one thing: the giant smile on my face. What most people don’t know is that throughout my teenage and college years, I was so scared to be who I was, that I let depression and anxiety isolate me and hurt those around me. I would push away friends and family who tried to help me. I would panic at the smallest amount of struggle or disappointment.
My reputation and the pressure to please others really took it’s toll when I lost sight of who I was and could only hide the truth behind my smile. “What I Be” helped me finally find comfort in my struggle and even ownership over something that had controlled me for so long. I am not my smile.