It felt like my parents created an environment that forced me into a “cage,” where I felt like a burden to them. Growing up, my family raised me under strict conditions where I felt they overly controlled my social life. I tried to speak out, but I felt that they did not meet me, and this drove me away from them to the point where I ran away. Searching for acceptance and love externally, the conflict with my family grew, and with it grew also my sense of loneliness and hopelessness to the point where I started having suicidal thoughts, feeling depressed and dropped out of school. See how a friend introduced me to a mental health organization called Shamiri, bringing mental awareness into my life. This gave me a platform to share my experiences first with my friend, and then with others, which provided me a safe space to feel heard and seen. Learn how this brought me perspective by challenging my mindset, which allowed me to see my parents in a new light and opened the door to forgiving them. After reconnecting with my parents, I felt we strengthened our relationship, and I started to create a support system for myself. Allowing me to stand firm and feel supported in my journey and career path, where I went back to school to become a teacher instead of trying to please everybody around me. This helped me to feel recognized and supported for being me, where I can make my parents and family proud of me again. This is my story.