Keep Choosing Life

To raise awareness for teenage su***de awareness and prevention and help connect those to the resourc

06/11/2024

Pride Month is a time for LGBTQIA+ individuals to come together and celebrate their freedom to live AUTHENTICALLY. This community deserves to have affirmed, safe, supported, loving, joyful, and mentally healthy lives.

As a queer-woman-of-color owned business, Pride means a lot to this organization. This community struggles the most with mental health due to not feeling like they can live their lives comfortably because of who they love and/or who they are. But we are here to remind you that YOU are LOVED no matter what and that YOU are in control of your life. Your life is valued, incredible, and meaningful and you have a place here. 🌈❤️

🌈

05/31/2024

Self care is something that looks different to everyone. For some it might be taking a hot shower with music playing and for others it may be learning how to set boundaries with yourself and/or others around you. Self care can also change depending on what you need in the moment, month, or year. Self care is a constant necessity for our mental well being and as we grow and learn more about ourselves, self care adapts and changes with us.

Here are some current self care things I do:
✨reading a book to get off of screens for a bit
✨cooking a meal from scratch and enjoying it with my favorite people or even alone
✨listening to a podcast and cleaning
✨playing Animal Crossing

06/23/2022

With it being the last week of and our 4 year anniversary, we would like to dedicate the last week of June to a fundraiser!

To further support LGBTQIA+, we will be donating 50% of funds donated to and the remaining 50% to KCL to help further our mission for mental health and su***de awareness.

Please share, donate, etc. This benefits so many individuals who need the help and support ❤️

06/14/2022

Can’t believe it’s been 4 years already! The last 4 years have been full of tremendous growth and learning. KCL started to get traction right when Covid hit in 2020 and it’s been so heart warming to know that all of you are still supporting it. It truly means so much to me that you’ve all been here since the beginning and I can’t wait to show you what the future has in store.

I also want to say thank you to all of you for the constant love and kindness you’ve shown me, the people involved, and the organization itself. It means so much that I can share stories, advice, and anything else that relates to the organization’s mission. I wouldn’t have come this far without every one of you. ❤️

04/07/2022

To the girl that started KCL in 2018,

Over the last four years, you’ve grown so much. You started this organization when you were in a dark place and this was your way of letting others know that they weren’t struggling alone. You wanted to give those struggling a place where they can feel heard and safe. But through all of it, you were going through all of this and still wanting to end it all. And that’s hard, and I know hard that is.

But since I am you just four years later, I have some words of advice for you. I want you to keep choosing life (ironically). But in the sense of like, keep choosing things that make you feel alive. Choose people that make you feel good and that are good for you. Choose growth and opportunities that benefit you, and choose to keep going, because you don’t want to lose out on what life has to offer you.

And here is the next chapter of KCL. ❤️

10/08/2021

We are so excited to announce our first in person event since before Covid! It’s been so long since we’ve connected with you all and what better way to do it than with our one and only Paint Your Feelings! Paint your feelings has been such a fun way for us to connect with our mental health through art.

Come join us 10/24 at 5:30 pm at to paint to your heart’s content. Snacks and materials will be provided and you get a free drink with the ticket purchase. Link in bio to purchase.

To keep everyone safe, we are capping the event at 30 people. We are also asking for proof of vax if you choose to take your mask off while attending otherwise please wear a mask of you are not vaxxed unless eating or drinking, or if it’s your preference that is fine too!

*also even though it is around the time of Halloween, you do not need to dress up unless you truly want to*

09/15/2021

We are excited to announce that we are GIVING AWAY a self care kit in honor of Su***de Prevention Month. The giveaway is open today through the end of the month and the rules are simple. All you need to do is FOLLOW , LIKE this post, and TAG someone you think may deserve a self care kit. Who knows, we might give one away to you and your friend because the more people taking care of themselves, the better. Good luck!

***deawareness ***deprevention

09/01/2021

Following along on Instagram to see what we are doing for the month of September!

09/01/2021

September is National Su***de Prevention Month. This month is dedicated to talking about mental health and helping those struggling get the resources that they need. Follow along for some resources and tips to better help your mental health.

If you or someone you know is need, do not hesitate to get help. Emergency? Call 911. Need to talk to someone? Text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

***deawareness ***deprevention

06/07/2021

It may only be the beginning of the week, but here is a good reminder to reflect on how far you’ve come. You’ve done some amazing things. You’ve conquered the hard stuff. You woke up today and kept going. Now let’s see how far you can go.

***deprevention ***deawarness

06/03/2021

Growth looks different for everyone and that is totally okay. Grow at your own pace and give yourself grace during the process.

***deprevention ***deawarness

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Founder’s Story: Why KCL exists today

Prepare yourself, because this is going to be deep but it’s okay.

I was thirteen when I first discovered depression existed within my own brain. It consumed everything I cared about and covered it in darkness. Everyone said I was “angsty”, like the rest of the teenagers I spent time with. However, I feel like angst does not exactly describe the hovering feeling of wanting to die.

As I got older, it only got worse. I found comfort in darkness, in being alone, and in sharp objects. I did not find comfort in people – at least not right away. I spent summers in pants to cover every cut I made. You would never see me in a swimsuit, crop top, or shorts. I hid my skin because I hated it, so why would I let anyone else see it.

Then there was one summer that I had built up enough courage to try on a bikini my mother had bought me, but it did not occur to me that she wanted to see how it fit (just in case she had to return it). I had forgotten about the fresh wounds on my hips and did not react in time to cover them. She came into my room, noticed the multiple scabbed slices and immediately started the interrogation process.

“How did that happen” and “Are you okay?” were two of her most repeated questions with the utmost concern in her voice.

Of course I responded with a lie. “I ran into the dining table really hard, but don’t worry I will take care of it so it heals properly”. She believed it and went on to ask about the swimsuit.

I spent years trying to hide the scars from my family, friends, and the people I dated. Even through high school, the depression battle raged on. Some days were victorious and some were losses. Relationships were never easy – intimacy was even scarier at that age. The thought of letting someone in was terrifying because what if they did something to push me over the edge. Sad to say, someone did exactly that. The texts he sent after were some of the most painful things to read. Engrained in my brain are the words “You should of killed yourself because you are a horrible person and no one should ever have to deal with you” and then the rest is blurry.

Even during that point in time, I fought his demands. I fought the craving of wanting to focus my pain onto my skin. I fought wanting to die. I chose to live in order to change myself. I wanted to love myself again. I hated the girl in the mirror. I was so ashamed of what I had done to my body. At that point, I knew I had to put my blades away for the better and I did.

Fast-forward a year to when I had moved away for college. At the time, I was in a house with five other people, two of whom were my best friends. Even though I was living with people I knew and pursuing a degree I thought would benefit me so much, I felt so alone and that I had no purpose. I realized my depression never fully went away, and for the record, it never actually does.

This time was different though; cutting again would cause suspicion and possibly be obvious because I lived with so many people. Therefore, as an alternative, I chose to drink. A casual beer with dinner turned into half a bottle of rum or more every night. I would skip class a lot because I was so exhausted from fighting my thoughts the night before or I was hungover. I chose isolation and a bottle as much as I could.

Then it reached a point of no return – meaning the bottles were piling up and people thought I was stocking up for a party. The alcohol could only do so much before my brain found its way back. I faced this demon once before which taught me that I could do it again. I knew I had to stop drinking. However, I did not know what to do or even how to start the conversation of needing help. The one thing I built up enough strength to do was tell myself “it’s okay” every day because eventually if you lie to yourself enough, you start to believe it.

“It’s okay” became my mantra. I wrote it on sticky notes and put them on my mirror, on my laptop, on my wrist, or anywhere I knew I would need the reminder that no matter what “It’s okay”; and it helped.

I would have emotional breakdowns every now and then. It’s okay.

I would be angry for no reason. It’s okay.

I would find myself choosing to sleep over hang out with people. It’s okay.

It was calming and secure – and honestly, saved my life.

Fast forward a year after I moved back from that house, I was able to celebrate turning twenty years old two years ago and this was monumental for my personal growth because I never thought I would make it to twenty years old. I thought I would have been dead before I ever reached that age. But I made it. Coming face to face with my own demons was not a task I thought I would ever be able to handle; yet I fought them for years on end (and still am every now and then). As a reward, “It’s okay” is now tattooed on my right wrist, in my hand writing, in the same place I wrote it with plain ink before.

Su***de was a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I knew that my depression would stay with me forever, but I did not know that I would one day build up the strength to fight it. “Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing, “said August Wilson, a famous playwright. And my angels did in fact start to sing.

Going from nights of wanting to stop breathing to mornings where I am thankful to be awake is a huge change. Through my struggle, I have learned that while darkness is comforting, it is not my life. My life has dark days and days full of light, sometimes it may even be gray. Regardless of what is going on, I know that it’s okay.

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Keep Choosing Life

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Founder’s Story: Why KCL exists today

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