In the spring of my freshman year of high school my father had a stroke. I had just broken my wrist playing lacrosse, so I was at a low point. I was six hours away from home and had no way to get back to see my dad. Being in the dark on how he was doing and not being able to play sports, which I had done all my life as a way to block out other problems, made it even more difficult. I had trouble sleeping at night and felt out of it in classes. It got to a point where I stopped going to classes and wouldn't leave my room. I thought there was something wrong with me but I also didn't want to look weak and seek help. That changed when my adviser called me into her office. She knew something was wrong and told me that she was there for me. After this I started seeing a counselor on campus. It felt good being able to open up to someone about my problems and worries that I had. Bottling up your problems is toxic and doesn't help anyone. I learned this at a young age but still need to remind myself from time to time. It's important to be able to find someone that you feel comfortable with.