How I Decided What I Wanted to do For the Rest of My Life

As many of my close friends and family know, I was inpatient at Menninger Clinic for two months and was discharged May 29th. Menninger monumentally changed my life in so many ways.

Going into Menninger, I always thought about becoming a high school English teacher. I never realized the many strengths I had until this scary transition in my life. Going into Menninger, I was terrified. Before this, I had never been to a psychiatric hospital before. I did not know what to expect. I pictured the stereotypical scene of people talking to themselves and people being relatively violent.

I am glad that I now know what I do. I created so many amazing relationships while I was there with staff and other patients. However, it wasn't until my very last weekend when I discovered one of my many talents.

There was a woman at arts and crafts that was having a relatively difficult time. She was in the unit I started out in when I first got to Menninger. For the sake of confidentiality, we will name her Hannah. Hannah was sitting at a table with the staff attempting to work on her project. I could sense that she was very upset and down on herself for various reasons. I finished my paintings and then moved over to talk to the staff who were around her. One of the staff said, "Hannah, I don't think you know Jordan."

She looked up at me and smiled weakly. I could tell that she had been crying. I smiled down at her and then asked her if I could sit next to her and help with her project that she was working on. She nodded and then we started talking. She would talk, and I would listen and then try to give her advice. The BIG thing she was struggling with was the fact that she wanted to go home. I knew that feeling. The second week I was at Menninger before I moved over to the young adult unit, I cried because I wanted to go home.

I told Hannah these exact words, "I know you want to go home, I did too. But do you really think that is the best idea right now? Are you sure you can keep yourself safe? I don't really know you but I care for you deeply. That is just who I am. It breaks my heart to see you like this."

At this point, I was tearing up.

Hannah looked at me. She was surprised that I had said that I cared about her. That night, I created a new friend. I also made a positive impact on someone's life. After I had talked to Hannah about her fears, an MHA (mental health associate) pulled me aside and said, "Jordan, you did an amazing thing back there."

I looked at her, confused at what I did. She then continued, "Hannah thinks the world of you. You really helped her just by saying and showing how much you cared about her."

That is when it all hit me. I want to be a mental health counselor. I used my own experience to help Hannah, and I can continue to use my experiences throughout life to help others like me in the future. I discovered what I want to do for the rest of my life at the most unexpected place. All I know is that I yearn to help others who are similar to me. While I still have a long road of recovery ahead of me, I know that my future is what will have me push through my bad days. I will help people, and this blog is just the beginning.