to do for me, not get mired down in trying to fix other people’s problems or take away their pain. I’ve been trying like hell to come to terms with how it makes me feel to say that, but also with how it makes me feel when I put my needs and my life second in importance to other people. There is a voice inside me that tells me that it’s the right thing to do to help people, to try to ease their suffering and help them on their way. But there is another voice also, one that whispers insistently that if I forsake myself for the sake of others, then nothing I do will be worth the effort.

I’m almost 18 years old. On some level I knew this time of my life would be hard. I knew that it would be tricky to navigate the distance from child to  adult. I&rsqu...

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