Dear August

you matter.

You matter.

You matter to your family, your friends, the people that love you.

You matter to the sun and the stars, the moon, and the galaxy.

You matter to the ground beneath your feet and the air around you.

You matter too much to be harming yourself.

You matter too much to be thinking those thoughts.

You matter.

The pain that you're feeling now is temporary. I know that it feels as if this will never go away. I've been in this position myself. But I promise you, this world will not be the same without you.

You may feel useless, but you're the farthest thing from it. You smile at strangers who cross your path and brighten their day. You make your friends laugh. You make your significant other feel loved and cared for. You make your family proud.

A world without all that isn't a good world.

You are not alone in this. Talk to someone. Tell them how you're feeling. No ones going to make fun of you, or ostracize you. They're going to want to help.

You don't want to die, you just want to stop hurting.

If someone you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting themselves, please consider calling the suicide prevention line.

National Suicide Prevention Line
1-800-273-8255

(please leave other countries suicide hotlines in the comments so I can add them to the list)