Love, CharenLeigh

I kind of pushed this part back for a while and I think I am finally ready to speak on it. This is a raw part of the story. If you haven’t read Part 3, or previous parts to my story you should read them before this one.

After writing part 3 of my kidnapping I realized I had some unsolved issues circling around and causing my triggers to be ya know, triggered.  I did not realize until then that I had created another fear inside of myself. I had allowed a simple procedure and lack of respect from one individual to grow deeper into my subconscious daily. Here’s to realizing my problem and facing it head on, with my therapist’s help of course. 😉

I left off on part 3 back in September telling you all about how my kidnapping was playing out. I told y’all the events; from the angel who stopped to assist me until I got to the sheriff’s department in Jennings, FL to when I had to call my mom. The Jennings, FL, Hamilton County Sheriffs office was phenomenal. They handled their part so gracefully and never forgetting about me the victim in the meantime.

I was the victim, I was the person who had been victimized, robbed, kidnapped, and taken across state lines but the detective from where I was taken, who came to question me had completely forgotten about that part. I do not remember his name, partially because I have forced it out of my head forever. Maybe unknowingly, I like to think at least, he made me feel as if I had done something to provoke this man to take me.  That it was my fault. I had obviously held onto that feeling for a very long time.

The questioning did not take place until after he had been caught. The BOLO and having an iPhone worked out nicely. He had never turned my iPhone off after I was left on that dirt road and they were able to use my log in information to be able to find him. The “find my iphone” app really made the officers in Jacksonville find him pretty quickly, as he was at the car wash cleaning my car out. After he was taken into custody and questioned by authorities it was now my turn to be questioned. Where the initial crime took place is where the detective had to come from to question me. So there was a few hours before all that happened and I was just sitting at the office playing the waiting game. When the detective arrived he was literally jumping for joy to have been chosen to take this case. When the guy was apprehended he even exclaimed how excited he was to be able to “catch him” as it was his first kidnapping case. He never asked how I was or even shook my hand when greeting me. He just said, “Now let’s get started so I can charge this guy.”

The questioning went as follows: ( everything in parenthesis is kind of what my thoughts are now when I replay this scenario in my head)  

“What is your story? Because the guy we have in custody says he did not do it and that it was his friends that had taken you.” ( yes I know this may be their protocol, but from someone who was just taken against her will at gun point, can you imagine how I felt? Like was it really his friends, or was it him. Was there more people involved in  the kidnapping, and had he actually planned it?)

“Where did you meet this man? Had you been seeing this man around lately?” ( I met him when he put a gun to my head, what do you mean? )

“What were you wearing exactly when this guy saw you? Were you wearing provocative clothing? Where your breasts out?” (Let me remind you it is January 13.)

“Was he your drug dealer? Did you try to buy drugs from him previously?” (There was no drugs found on him.)

“The next step is choosing the man who did this to you out of a group of mug shots of 10 different people, we will show them to you all only once, one at a time and you will get about 10 seconds to look at each picture. I will then lay out the pictures out together and you will choose which one is the guy who did this.” (You want to talk about overwhelming, I should have known they would pull out 10 photographs of 10 men who looked almost exactly alike)

Not only at this point was I in tears, but I could not even recall what the man and his facial features were. I was starting to shake and question my own memory. I started to quickly ask questions. I wanted to know what would happen if I choose the wrong person. I wanted to know is this the last time I get to decide. I asked if I was going to have to meet somewhere and meet him personally again. I was nervous, I was scared, I was in fear, and I felt as if I had caused it myself. I was hysterical. My parents arrived shortly and joined me in the conference room with the detective and the photographs. They could tell immediately that I was not handling it well and asked for me to have a break.

The officer responds, “Take your time, but just know that the longer you take, the longer the man who may of done this to you could be out there. We do not know at this time if we even have the right guy.”

I took a break regardless and just sat with my parents for a little while and tried it again. I at the point could at least calm down enough to revisit the moments and try to picture the guys face in my head again. I choose a picture. I choose the one who looked the most like the guy. I immediately turned to the detective and asked if I had chosen the man who had been arrested in my car. His response plays in my head daily, “Oh we cannot tell you that, I just hope you choose the right one.” I then just prayed that the one I had chosen was the guy who actually had kidnapped me. Thankfully as the detective for that county left, the detective in Jennings reassured me it was the same man. That the man I had chosen from the list of terrible mug shots was the man found in my car.

I did not realize that the whole incident changed me also. I no longer saw deputies or officers as people who were out to help the community, all they cared about was “catching the bad guys” or “arresting someone”. Seeing an officer had become my trigger. The way that detective talked to me immediately following becoming a victim changed the way I looked at almost all people in uniforms. The police and sheriffs uniforms on a man caused me to hide. I did not want to have to face or talk to another one again.

Now if you know me, you know I am like my mama and have a heavy foot. I have had a few tickets in my day. So my first time being stopped by a cop after my kidnapping sent my body into complete fight or flight. I freaked out and started becoming hysterical. I am not sure if I scared myself or the cop more. I went into panic mode until I was almost loosing consciousness. The poor cop that day literally tossed a warning sheet at me and told me to please go home. The second time I had gotten pulled over it was for something so silly, or so I thought. The cop arrives at the my door and says that I did an improper lane change. That was odd, because I did not change lanes until after he was behind me and that was so I could pull over. This officer was not as fresh and new as the last and had pulled me over with a chip on his shoulder. He asked me to step out of my car while he looked over my license and insurance. He kept questioning me on “Why my tag was from Mauk, and my license said Valdosta?” I tried to explain to him through all my hysterical tears because I was not comfortable and once again my PTSD had struck. He insisted that one of them were fake or that I had stolen my car. I tried to explain that everything at the time was in my parents name because of my kidnapping. He joked and said I have never heard of you, are you sure you were kidnapped or is that just another lie. After becoming a little overly hysterical he went and researched my name and saw that I truly had been kidnapped. He quickly returned and sent me on my way. I tried to call my boyfriend at the time to help calm me down and even my mom, but it just seemed that I was being quite dramatic. I had even become to believe that I was just being dramatic and the cop was just doing his job. They did not know what my body was reacting to and neither did I at that time. I had become unstable to the point that I hid from any type of man in a deputy or officer uniform.

I knew that at work, dropping my head and ignoring my nervousness around just our security at work had to be something from my past experiences. That I truly could not be that afraid of them. I mentioned this to my counselor and she got to work. We started with EMDR to assist with exactly what was actually triggering me. [EMDR is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR therapy includes a set of standardized protocols that incorporate elements from many different treatment approaches.]  It was clearly the uniforms on a man; all because of the events that happened the day when my body, brain, and mind was completely vulnerable. We went through many steps and I was able to retrain my brain to not be in fear of them anymore. I learned that not all cops are bad cops and not all officers in that color uniform thought I was a joke like some have in the past. They were not all out to get me, and some truly were out to help people and victims. It took a lot for me to make a point to speak to an officer each day at my job. Clearly they were ones that I knew would never harm me but I had to start somewhere. I am now able to face any man in a uniform of that sort without becoming nervous. I have even become friends with some officers and cops.

I wrote this post today, over 6 months since I wrote the previous part of my kidnapping story to show that this is a never-ending cycle. That even when I think I am all healed from the event, another part will peek around the corner and show its evil face. I still have PTSD, I will always have PTSD, but I am knocking my triggers out one day at a time.

I use to be that girl, I use to try to start the new year off a new person, setting unrealistic goals and really goals that were for other people. I had set myself up for a big failure and followed suit pretty well. Once I changed my aspect of what a new year really meant to me and set realistic goals for my life my whole view changed.

I start my year off way before it actually comes. The more prepared I am the better I feel when the actual new year comes instead of waiting till the day of. I prepare for my year by praying for God’s plan for my life in this year. I usually just write down a list of things I want to accomplish. Some are very realistic, others are very simple. I even make a few of the things completely out of my comfort zone and a major dream. I have watched my own plans fail before, but His plans have always given me the sweetest blessings in the long run.

Life sucks a lot of the times. Terrible things happen to good people. But that does not mean you have to be the evil that causes it. Every year around my birthday I literally have so much anxiety because on my 23rd birthday. I thought it was a normal year of bringing it in with my best friends. I have always called January 10th my “new year”. It is so close to the new year and it being the day I was born I have used it for my own new year. So can you imagine what my PTSD does when I got taken 3 days after my birthday and the day after celebrating with my friends out on the town. My anxiety for my birthday every year after has been a little different. I usually do not choose to spend it in a large group of people, unless that group is my closest friends and family. I am still slick terrified every year around that time, but honestly that is just how my brain got trained. A trauma happened and rewired my brain to always remember that day and to be overly cautious. I have tried for the last 4 years to get that off my mind, but every year when its time to plan something it falls that way for me. I try now not to plan too much around that time because I know I will more than likely want to be alone, mentally safe, in my own bed.

Now on to  wonderful, fabulous, adventurous, loving year of 2019…

The start of this year I planned for things to be different. I planned for my life in the next year to be more simple and disciplined. I wanted to make sure I took advantage of the people who took time to stick around through some of my worst times and to really go out and adventure this world without fear. I made goals to love others while always putting my self first and on top. I set up timers to remind myself of those goals I had written down weeks before. I accomplished so much in the last year I knew this year would be so different.

I ended 2018 and began 2019 with some of the realist individuals. I was at my very favorite place, the beach. I set myself up to not focus so much on the goals those first few days and just be thankful I made it to see another year. I relaxed and organized my mind. I celebrated how far I had come and mentally released all the hurt and disappointments from the year before.

A few days later I returned home for just a few short hours to re-pack my bags and head to my next favorite place in the world, my parents. I spent just a few hours relaxing in my childhood home and surrounded by the people who molded and created me all these years. (So so thankful for them by the way, keeping my two spoiled rotten children while I traveled the world meant so much, they knew just how much I needed and deserved it.)

I then hit the road early the next morning headed to one of my newest favorite places, the smoky mountains. I spent 4 days there exploring nature with a few of my favorite people and trying new things. I fell in love with the little town of Gatlinburg, TN. From the little shops and their samples, to the foggy mountain tops, the constant breeze whirling around us and the comfort of a cabin surrounded by nature and wildlife I felt more “at home” than normal.

Before my 28th birthday and only just after 2019 had begun, I had traveled over 2000 miles across the state and ventured it mostly alone. Regardless who was with me, I was comfortable and confident in myself and truly took the time to reflect over all those miles. I had become the woman I needed to in 2018. I had conquered the fears surrounding the beginning of January and up until my birthday.

I returned home to Valdosta with my two furbabies, Cam and Clover who clearly needed their mama time. I snuggled with them for a day or two before returning back to work after such a wonderful holiday vacation. I had left my home clean and mostly all my clothes washed and ready to start off fresh and ready. (I am superstitious, and have to have a clean home to start the new year.) Returning to work was no different. I had set myself up for positivity and rewards all 2019.

I started off my birthday with my coworker family, they surprised me with a little work party (we live for these btw). I had a cake fulllll of icing because they know just how much I love icing and sweets. Then we had a pizza party with my favorite types of pizza. I was slick in heaven. Some of my favorite people I have met since working in the ICU plus my favorite carbs and still making money. Can you really beat that? For a moment there, being an adult wasn’t so bad after all.

It was the weekend again and I was back on the road, headed to spend time again with my “originals” in my childhood home with my mom’s cooking, daddy’s hilarious dry sense of humor, and my partner in crime since day 1, my sister.

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I decided while I was there why not just drive a few more hours up the road and see my college besties. I traveled to Atlanta, Ga for about 24 hours and continued to celebrate this year and my 28th birthday. I wish I had a picture to show y’all, but yeah when you are having just that much fun you forget to take photos to capture the memories. Thankful for people who I have known for almost 10 years now, who stuck by me, kept me sane during my college years, and always support me even if I am the worst communicator ever.

I said all this to say…PREPARE, PLAN and EXECUTE.

If you know you have a mental illness that will flare up or be triggered during certain times of the year or around certain people take care of it first off before hand. I planned this year to be different and so far we are 24 days in and it has surprised me at what all I could accomplish in such a short amount of time. I said to my self that this year I would not spend it on fear or worry. I would spend it traveling the world with my favorite people, taking care of myself first and loving them second but twice as much. I avoided all the triggers that came with my kidnapping and pulled my own self out of the funk to start off the 2019 year the best I had in the last 5 years. My 5 year anniversary of my kidnapping came and went without any anxiety, moping, fear, or depression. I handled my business and made sure I was busy with my favorite things when the day came. It was honestly 2 days later when I realized it had been 5 years and that was not because of PTSD, anxiety, depression, co-dependency, or any of the things I had been dealt in the past. I had overcome my fear of failing another year and stepped up to the plate and set myself up for the best year yet. There is no new year, new me. There is a new year, better me. I am finally becoming the woman the Lord created me to be. Here is to the new year, and another month of progress and pure happiness.

F: fear   ::

1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling:an abnormal fear of heights.
3. concern or anxiety; solicitude:

U: unavoidable   ::

unable to be avoided; inevitable:an unavoidable delay.

N: necessary   ::

1. being essential, indispensable, or requisite:a necessary part of the motor.
2. happening or existing by necessity:a necessary change in our plans.
3. acting or proceeding from compulsion or necessity; not free; involuntary: a necessary agent.

K: kept   ::

(not the dictionary.com version btw) to continue to do something or to live normally in a difficult situation: Sometimes it was hard to keep going, but we did it for the children’s sake. keep something going. to help someone to continue doing something or living normally, especially in a difficult situation: It was my friends that kept me going through all this.

November has always been a month where I spend time recognizing what did and did not get accomplished in the last year of my life. I evaluate every month, I look over what I started off the year with and where I am with only 30 days left. I praise the growth and I critique over the mistakes so I do not continue them. I started all of that towards the end of November into the beginning of December. As you can all tell, it has stretched till the very last few days of the year. That time was something I needed most, and even with my emotions everywhere I grew through every questioned feeling.

Towards the end of the year things did not go as I had planned them. I had envisioned my last few months of 2018 to be spent just relaxing and preparing to start a brand new journey on January 1st. I let disappointment take over. I allowed the funk to take over and I let it sit in my heart a little too long before I stopped it. Even the littlest of time in the funk can scar your heart and put you into a mode of just waking up to survive and get by.  I had beat myself up for slacking in some areas of my life. I looked at all the negatives and all the things I did not receive that I thought I deserved. BUT GOD; he had such a bigger plan for me.

I began searching for answers. I wanted to know what caused this funk this time, what put me in this mode, what did this to me? Was it time to remove people from my life? Was it just my trigger season getting the best of me? I had done so much better for myself this year, why did my mind keep reminding me of how much I did not accomplish. Then I realized it was my time to grow again. My time to take that step up, to become a better me. I had actually accomplished everything in this year God wanted for my life. This was my time to realize I could not just be happy and content in this next season in my life. I had to suffer for my purpose and realize my weaknesses so I could spend the next 12 months better than the last 12 months of my life.

2018 was my biggest growing year yet.

• I grew spiritually in a new way. I feel connected to God on a daily basis now. In every situation I truly turn to him for my answers. When terrible things arise I ask him to show me my lessons. He has shown me this year that I can check off things more quickly on my goal list when I let him lead my way. Jesus seems to re-save me every day, in every lesson, and every experience.
• I grew emotionally; I no longer allow the way others feel about me to dictate how I feel about myself. I know my feelings and emotions can go all over the place at times due to hormones and my mental health illnesses. I know I am always in control of my emotions, my feelings, and my actions/reactions. I give myself time to recover from these emotions also. It will take a toll on you if you do not allow yourself that time.
• I grew my mentality. I read more books this year than I have in the last 5 years of my life (school books not included). The books I read were only to help increase my knowledge and create positive, loving ideas in my head. I tried out new things that would push my mind to try more and be more. I jumped out of my comfort zone more than 10x this year (big one for me, I live inside my comfort blanket). I wanted to be mentally just as strong as I had become physically.
• Oh, and I grew physically. I have muscles showing on my body that never knew could exist on me. Fifty pounds down from where I started this year. I saw an abdominal muscle poke out last week and if you know me I have always had a little belly. Plus I really like the sweets! I can now carry objects that weigh as much as me. I have pushed my body to its very limits in those 50 minute workout classes (HeartRize is my addiction). I have watched my body grow strength from areas I never knew were so important to my health.

Through all the analyzing over the last year of my life I got into the most “fearful”, “unavoidable”, “necessary”, “kept” funk of my life. It made me realize I had the choice at this very moment to keep going and growing or to just give up and give in. That funk changed my outlook and has created such a drive in me for my new year like never before. If I had not taken those few weeks and just looked over the positives and negatives. If I had not allowed myself to work through that FUNK would I be as pushed as I am today. I do not believe I would have. I fought through it every day to not allow myself to fall back into something I had already overcame. I truly have accomplished so much more this year than I like to give myself create for sometimes. God has made sure that every step forward has humbled me with a step back to remind me this is His plan, not mine.

Here’s to taking that next step in my purpose following Jesus’ plan for my life, not my own!

By now a lot of y’all know me and know my thought process on what I choose to write about each week, or bi-weekly lately (sorry for that school is kickin’ my butt). But for those who do not, I just pray to God every day of the week to give me any type of signs and/or symptoms in my life that I should write about. I pray that he just shows me what needs to be said to the world each week and go from there. That leads me to today.

The more I grow internally and externally I learn things about myself in such a deeper depth. For one, we truly are all so unique to our own selves that trying to portray being someone you are not is the part of you where you’re of not doing your part in the world.

Life is a lot deeper to me than just making money and having a career. I want to change the world.

Some problems are too big to carry on our own. – Grey’s Anatomy

On Facebook the last two weeks I have been observing what overs repost and/or write about for others to see, or to update others on their lives. This is also another way I choose what I should write about. I actually pray that my social media family reads my blogs just to be curious, because we all never know when something may apply to us or show us something that will lead or push our self to the next level. I myself have started following strangers from across the world. I have started responding and openly communicating with others with my similar habits and passions. Some even that I have known for years who have reconnected just to remind me that I am doing my “job” regardless what it looks like to others. This has just pushed me so positively in such trying weeks in my life in the last few months. People read my posts and actually comment and give their perspectives. I have learned lately that people do love to learn from others and better themselves no matter what others may believe or how they act. We all do want better for ourselves.

What we put into our minds will create habits and thoughts that will eventually create our actions and reactions.

My observations, prayers, and addiction to Greys Anatomy quotes pushed me to remind everyone that sometimes we all need some type of help. Whether it is at work to complete a task, with a personal issue you cannot seem to fix, a medical illness that needs a diagnosis for medication, to clasp our necklace before a date, borrow a loan for a car or home, or just a spiritual reminder; we all have problems or issues that are just too large to carry on our own. I do not know a soul in this world who has not needed help at one point or another in their life. The help could have came from family, friends, strangers, kids, husband, wife, coworkers, Jesus, medical staff, etc. but regardless it coud not be done alone. Our pride and our thoughts will trick us into thinking we can all do it alone but we cannot.

If there is anything I have learned throughout my mental health journey and just this last month in general was that I could not of accomplished this one alone. I have spoken to friends. I have asked for advice from my parents. I have prayed heavily. I have researched. And when I do, my life seems to run a lot smoother. When I try to tackle the world alone I seem to always fail. This does not mean I am not strong enough. This does not mean I am not good enough. This does not mean that I cannot complete all things; it means I cannot do it all alone.

God created Eve as a partner to Adam because he knew Adam could not tackle the world alone. God also knew that we would not be able to tackle this world without the help of professions that were created by his people. We could not and would not live this world peacefully without him either. We are all so quick to burn bridges and to cut off communication but we were all here to do a part in this world and he put each other here also as a partner to help tackle the struggles of life.

I said all that to say, broaden your perspective with life, we cannot do this life alone without the help of others. We cannot grow physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually without the help of some other source. Take advantage of what the future has provided for us to help communicate. Talk to others about your positives and your negatives. Encourage others when you can, because we know we all could use a little encouragement on some tough days. Show love as much as you can, but make sure it’s with compassion. Some times we are put in others people’s life to help them without even realizing it, to help them grow and to help us grow. I just want us to do this all together. Push each other as one big team who is fighting different fights in such a crazy world. We are all we really have.

Life can come at any one fast and uncontrolled, just as the hurricane did that devastated the lives of those in Florida and Georgia. Life also came at me real fast when I was kidnapped and taken out of my safe place. The loss of my mental control after that day suffered. Cancer diagnoses from a well-known health enthusiast will send anyone over the edge. The abandonment from a wife/husband or mother/father during an already questionable time will cause our minds to lose all types of control over our emotional well-being.

You see the posts on social media about checking on your happy friends, and your silent friends but do we do it? Are we as humans responsible for the loss of life from suicide? Is the lack of understanding and communication about mental health the reason people hide this part of themselves from the world; when in reality it’s actually about a bigger sign for help.

Physical help from the damages Hurricane Michael caused seems most important right now from anyone’s view point. People are looking at the views from the reporters, linemen, families via social media thinking of how such a terrible loss has happened to these people. You know what we forget about though? The mental and emotional strain all the physical damages have caused. The PTSD from the people who stayed behind and witnessed such a catastrophic event. The anxiety from those who are not even able to hear from their loved ones or know if their homes are still standing. The depression people are suffering and will suffer from in the future due to the loss that did occur. People’s physical lives in the affected  area are changing dramatically right now.

But their mental health and emotional well-being has taken a turn for the worse. How will they pick up those pieces of loss of family and friends and memories and pets. How much will insurance actually cover and how much more work will I have to do to get back to where I was just a short week ago? Do I even have a job to go back to once I return?

The last few days have put many people on edge from the storms that has now changed our country. I wanted to bring awareness to the mental and emotional side of this storm. I wanted you to become aware that anything life throws at you can cause damage in your life you may least expect. None of us are exempt from the catastrophic and tragic events of the world whether it’s caused by people, infections, or the weather. Remember to check on your friends; we are all fighting a battle no one tells anyone about.

Now on to observing and recognizing…

•Observe:

—verb (used with object), ob·served, ob·serv·ing.

1. to see, watch, perceive
2. to regard with attention, especially so as to see or learn something
3. to watch, view, or note for a scientific, official, or other special purpose
4. to state by way of comment; remark
5. to keep or maintain in one’s action, conduct, etc.
6. to obey, comply with, or conform to
7. to show regard for by some appropriate procedure, ceremony, etc
8. to perform duly or solemnize (ceremonies, rites, etc.).
9. to note or inspect closely for an omen or sign of future events.

•Recognize:

—verb (used with object), rec·og·nized, rec·og·niz·ing.

1. to identify as something or someone previously seen, known, etc
2. to identify from knowledge of appearance or characteristic
3. to perceive as existing or true; realize
4. to acknowledge as the person entitled to speak at a particular event
5. to acknowledge formally as entitled to treatment as a political unit:
6. to acknowledge or accept formally a specified factual or legal situation
7. to acknowledge or treat as valid
8. to acknowledge acquaintance with, as by a greeting, handshake, etc.
8. To show appreciation of (achievement, service, merit, etc.), as by some reward, public honor, or the like.

Okay, so now that we are aware what both of those really mean I want to give you some signs and symptoms with people who have depression, PTSD, anxiety issues. I also want people to know the ways to cope with disasters that will cause your mental and emotional health to suffer. All of the following will be provided from professional websites with credentials. I only find information on those types of online material due to the creation of false news and treatments. A lot of the signs and symptoms for the above all fall into some of the same categories.

Some common signs of distress by the CDC:

Common anxiety signs and symptoms from the online information at Mayo Clinic include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
• Having trouble sleeping
• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
• Having difficulty controlling worry
• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

The World Health Organization has created a few keys facts for mental health during emergent crisis.

• People suffer from a wide range of mental health problems during and long after emergencies.
• People will be more likely to recover if they feel safe, connected, calm and hopeful; have access to social, physical and emotional support; and find ways to help themselves.
• Agencies agree on an intervention pyramid – from basic services and actions at the base to highly specialized at the top – to help countries match response strategies with community needs and appropriate expertise.
• WHO recommends at least 1 supervised health care staff member in every general health facility during humanitarian emergencies to access and manage mental health problems.
• Emergencies, in spite of their tragic nature and adverse effects on mental health, are also opportunities to build better mental health systems for all people in need.
• Global progress on mental health reform will happen more quickly if, in every crisis, efforts are made to convert short-term interest in mental health into momentum for long-term improvement.
• Mental health is crucial to the overall wellbeing, functioning, and resilience of individuals, societies, and countries recovering from emergencies.

People are able to disguise a lot of their problems by putting on a smile even when times are trying. Just because their selfies look great and they’re always smiling; this does not mean they do not need to be checked on. Sometimes others ways of screaming for help are not the ways we would have chosen for ourselves. God created us so differently and he also created these disasters to help mold us and change us. It is not the end of the world yet; he has so much more work to do within us all. Look to him for guidance because he is the only one who knows the storms by name ahead of time and can pull you through it and guard you from any future suffering.