IN YOUR OWN WORDS TO MY YOUNGER SELF, YOU’RE STRONGER THAN YOU REALIZED YOU COULD BE. SELF, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER that you are so much stronger than you ever imagined you would be. Hard times are going to come your way, and sometimes, they will be even harder than you expected, but you can overcome anything that’s thrown your way. Even when you get old, things RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR are going to happen to you that are beyond your control. Surgeries, for one, can be very difficult when you get older. You have to keep reminding yourself that the pain will go away and that you can overcome it. You have to keep your spirits up even when you’re in hard times. If so, don’t remind self that it’s okay. Then, self may give up, and then you’re in trouble. When you were younger, Self, you thought that you could handle everything and nothing would bother you. That’s not always true.. When things are bothering you, you need to get help. I wish that when I was younger, I had asked for help because maybe I wouldn’t have struggled so hard to get where I am today. I am grateful that you survived everything you did to get me to where I am now, Self. Today, for our mental health, I reached out to get us help. Even if you’re not depressed, but a lot is going on and you don’t know what to do about it, and you think you can handle it by yourself, please get help. Reach out and tell someone that you’re struggling. Always ask for the help that you need. If you can’t find help, keep asking for it until you do find it. You are worth that and so much more. Only you can ask for the help you need. When I was younger, I had trouble asking for help. Now that I’m close to 70, I know that self has to take care of self and get the help that self needs. I’m letting you know that there’s no shame in saying that you need to talk to a therapist just to help you get through what you’re going through. That does not mean that you’re crazy for needing a therapist; that’s what it used to mean if somebody thought that you were seeing a psychiatrist, that you must be crazy. That’s not true. Today, I’m grateful to have a care team that really cares about me that I can say I need some help to process everything I have been going through since the cancer diagnosis. I’m grateful that I’m cancer-free. Now I love myself enough to ask for help, and when I ask, help is there for me. People tell you to forget the past, but you have to deal with the past, come to terms with everything that you might have gone through, and then, after you come to terms, you’ll be able to live a better life! With everything going on in this world today, a person can get overwhelmed. If you feel that you’re overwhelmed, please get help. Having your brain be overwhelmed for a long period of time is not good, so if you need help, get the help you need. I want you to know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength because nobody is meant to go through everything by themselves. Be kind to yourself, take self-care and self-love, and hold on to them as tight as you can because self-love, self-care, and selfkindness are the most important things you have for you to have a good life, Self. Next week I will speak with a therapist, and I’m looking forward to it, especially since I don’t have family out here and a few friends who are not in a position to help me through what I’m experiencing. I need a professional, and there’s no shame in asking for help. I wish when we were younger that I had somebody let me know it was okay to ask for help. When you live on the streets for so long, you give up hope, and when you get inside, you’re grateful to be there. No one can love you better than you can love yourself, and that’s asking for help when you need it! My prayer is that everyone who is reading this and is struggling and needs help will get the help that they need. I thank you so much for caring enough about you to request a therapist to help you get over all that you have gone through the last few years. Please do not struggle by yourself and get the help that you need! Self, I thank you for being strong today, stronger than you ever thought you could be. You even shocked yourself by how strong you can be when needed. Thank you for never truly giving up on yourself. My prayer is that everyone will love themselves enough to get help! I did, will you? 12 DENVER VOICE August 2025 2025
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