A friend once shared she feels I am an eloquent writer and speaker, which is great when the words I use are kind and empowering.

This should be a good quality, and I’ll humbly agree only in part. These same words can slash and burn, and this is my worst quality.

Thus is my main motivation to manage my mental health symptoms aggressively, responsibly, and successfully.

I don’t like myself in the smallest crumb of being when I hurt others with the words I choose.