User blog comment:MightyUke416/Bell: Let's Talk Day/@comment-5277627-20190130084126

Thanks Uke! I'll admit, when I first designed Kendra she was just the cocky bitch who got overthrown, but the more I wrote her, the more I developed her story. I kept her over Jason and then gave her story more of a chance to develop. Having had my own mental health issues and had my family make a bit of a joke out of it or react negatively when I talked about it, I wanted the stigma to piss off. Since Kendra had been so open about mental health before, I wanted to make her sort of an advocate for talking about it, and instead of just making her the OTTN negative bitch who is just awful to everyone, I wanted to show that there was a reason behind it.

In my life I struggled to say no, I wouldn't voice my opinions and people used to make fun of me when I went batshit and got bitter in my jury speeches. People often are quick to judge "horrible" actions without thinking about the reason behind it. There was a reason behind me saying no or keeping my opinions to myself, or getting angry at people in jury speeches. It was important that I highlight mental health in my season and Kendra was the right person to do that with.

I also want to stress, and I can't stress this enough, '''talking really really helps. '''When I moved away from home (which was, honestly, the main contributor to my toxic environment), I saw a doctor, then a psychologist, and we got to the root of my problems. I discovered things I never even knew about myself because everything in my family seemed "normal." Because of that, I was honest about my feelings, I've grown more confident, and I can stand up for myself. I've got a much positive outlook on life now because I started changing things. I've significantly cut back on alcohol intake as well (y'all know I had a problem with that) and I've just become so much better. Had I not taken that first step of actually going to the doctor to find help, I'd be right where I was. And believe me, that's a dark place.

'''Please, if you're feeling low, depressed, suicidal, or just need someone to talk to, go find someone to talk to. It does help. Things will get better. You just need to take the first step of talking. '''