What Makes YOU Get Up and Live Every Day?

What makes YOU get up and live every day? If it’s hard to answer, let’s find one together.

About a year and a half ago, I didn’t have a reason to get up every day. I was exhausted most of the time. I didn’t have the mental strength to be able to deal with anything or anyone around me. I struggled with even getting up for school. The other issue? I kept it to myself. I didn’t tell anyone I was hurting. My grades began to drop, and I didn’t have a purpose to get up and try anymore.

A month after my grades had dropped consistently, I had given up. I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally or physically. It became August, and nothing was helping. One day, I was scrolling through one of my social media accounts and I came across a shelter post. A dog that was up for adoption. My gut told me “go try it”; I ended up driving down to that shelter that evening, I filled out the application once I arrived, and I met the dog I had seen online. We didn’t click like I wanted, which lead me to having even less hope. I gave it another chance and walked through the shelter once more. Walking through, I met a dog that ended up changing my life. He was shy. It seemed as if some part of him had given up hope, too, but another part of him was willing to fight.

It took him months to adjust to living outside of a kennel. Every day, I poured my heart into making him as comfortable as possible around people. He struggled to get up every day. He slept a lot the first few weeks. Yet, no matter what I did, he never left my side. I began teaching him small things that he didn’t know such as sit, down, touch, etc. He was scared to play with toys because no one ever took the time to teach him.
I still had a hard time getting up and getting used to taking him out on a routine schedule or feeding him however, he got used to forcing me to get up. I’ve had him for a little bit over a year now and I’ve recently been training him to become a Psychiatric Service Dog. He has caught on quickly and blossomed; he continues to learn more and more each day.

This dog gives me a reason to get up every day. He wakes me up every morning and gives me a purpose to continue to live. Finding your purpose isn’t easy and sometimes it’s hard to go on. If it is hard to find something to live for every day, find something small. Even if it’s living for something that wouldn’t be found as worthy to others (such as watering a plant and helping it survive). Allowing something to give you a purpose and a reason to live will help you through each difficult day. It’s okay to struggle, and it’s okay to reach out for help if you can’t find any reasons to live.

If you’re struggling, reach out. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It’s available 24/7 and free and confidential. There is always someone ready to help you. You are never alone.