First and foremost, I need to thank everyone who has given this story a shot. ONC is one of my favorite times of year because I love the challenge of finding a prompt and making it come alive.

The primary prompt I used was #96 - "Some days I don't exist, my bed becomes a casket." - Juansen Dizon

This story comes with a major trigger warning. A lot of what I am going to write is considered taboo. Mental health is incredibly important to me. I myself accepted that I needed help almost eight years ago and have been working on healing, coping, and working through a lot of issues. I like to joke that my forever-growing list of mental health issues is longer than my work resume. Also, humor is a major coping mechanism when I feel overly vulnerable.

The 8th Floor is loosely based on my experience at the beginning of my mental health journey. There will be the talk of some pretty deep stuff, such as self-harm, suicide, death, sexual assault, miscarriages, violence, drug and alcohol use, etc.

My goal for this book is to spread awareness about mental health and let people know they aren't alone. I want to dig deep into these illnesses and discuss the symptoms and forms in which these conditions present themselves. For example, Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not just about being clean, and Bipolar Disorder is not just a quick fluctuation of someone's mood.

If you have any thoughts of hurting yourself, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,

You can also text 741741 when in crisis, available 24/7 in the United States. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds quickly.

Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. Text 988

Also, for people outside of the United States, please go to

https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/

To find a number to a crisis line in your country

Although you feel alone, please try to remember you are not. You are loved, your life is valuable, and help is available.