In May I stumbled across a website called Volunteer Match that, as it sounds, matches people with volunteering opportunities that match their interests and abilities. I signed up impulsively--honestly, I did not have any time to volunteer due to my insane schedule--due to a pull I felt to the website. I filled out my profile and interests and waited for some matches to show up, still not sure why I was doing it, but knowing I should.
I sat in my concrete box of a dorm room scrolling through the options, not quite intrigued by any of them. I began to lose hope and felt some frustration because I had "wasted" five precious minutes signing up for this website instead of watching Bob's Burgers. Then all of a sudden a sponsored opportunity showed up: the Crisis Text Line. Normally, I ignored sponsored posts and advertisements. But this one stuck out to me. It offered the chance to be a counselor to people in crisis through a texting platform. It sounded right up my alley. So I immediately clicked on it and continued to sign up (keep in mind I still had no extra time, but I felt the intense need to sign up for training). I waited excitedly for the email saying whether or not I was accepted for training--it came almost immediately saying I was in.
Now, if you know me, you know why getting this cause is so important to me: I have struggled with suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety (and still do, it doesn't just disappear and that's the #tea) throughout my whole life. Luckily I got help and it never got serious enough to feel the need to text in myself, but knowing that this service existed was always a comfort. And now I had the chance to be on the other side and help people who are in the shoes I once occupied.
Immediately I knew that this would be a serious time commitment (we're talking 250 hours per year), but it was important enough to me to commit that time. So I went through training, graduated training, and began my journey with the Crisis Text Line as a counselor.
This might not seem like a huge deal to you, and it certainly is not a misadventure compared to my other "How Did I...?" posts, but it is an integral part of my journey as a young adult in today's society. It makes me proud to do something about the mental health crisis currently happening in the United States (and world) right now.
Every week I try to work four hours--does that always happen? No. But I try. I do this, not only because I somehow by the grace of God need to get to 250 hours by May 28th of 2019, because helping people helps me. Is it selfish of me to do this in part to help myself? Perhaps, but it's the truth. After each and every shift, even if they do not go well, I know that I did something that day--that I helped someone. I help others and I help myself. What an opportunity.
And we are always in need of new counselors, if this sounds like something you would be interested in please go to the Crisis Text Line website to look into it.
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