A Message from Ariel - American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Hello beautiful beings and welcome to my fundraiser page. For those of you who may not know me directly, my name is Ariel and this is my 3rd year entering the Annual Walk Out of Darkness to fight suicide and support AFSP's bold goal to reduce the suicide rate 20% by 2025. I am a proud advocate for social justice and mental health.

Personally, this year has been quite challenging for me. Getting back to the current state where the world is in has put me to the ultimate test - redefining balance. Metamorphosizing into the woman I aim to be, I have allowed myself time. Time to process, to think, to heal, and most importantly to feel. Raising my sense of awareness, I have now reached a headspace of what I want my future to look like. My visions for the future aren't just a painted picture of what I want for myself, but the society that surrounds me. The journey I have been on has been intense- from fear and confusion to happiness and clarity.

I used to feel extreme loneliness or get infuriated at the responses I received after reaching out due to the lack of awareness and resources there is about mental health. Initially, I internalized and took this rejection personally. It left me feeling let down by my friends, family, and community. That then spilled into me silencing myself at times, categorizing myself that I was not worth speaking up. I questioned my worth given that I was not an individual who was defined to be not direct enough when vocalizing matters like so. I became too cautious about how I could possibly make others feel when in reality, a conversation like this is not easy. To be quite frank, I've struggled to articulate my story to share with you all this time around because I constantly found myself devaluing my worth when drafting this page.

This year, I am extending the invitation to you in hopes you can join the conversation. In less of a literal sense - being able to open the door of understanding and compassion. Being a role in someone else's life as well as your own to be a vessel of insight. That being said I see my future is filled with kindness, for ourselves and others. If you are interested in learning more about how you can play a role in The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention goal explore the site under "Get Involved ". Or if you would like to read more on what I have to say about the role I play and my personal experience with mental health click here to read more.

"With awareness come responsibility and choice."- Amanda Lindhout.

https://supporting.afsp.org/participant/2569719