I went from making $200,000 a year to using SNAP. Here's what I wish people knew about government assistance.

"I started my job as a lawyer in January 2021. I went to work at what was, at the time, one of the largest law firms in the entire world. It was a very prestigious position, and my starting salary was $200,000. It was the most money I had ever seen, and no one in my family had ever seen that much either."

"The job took a toll on me mentally and physically I worked that job for a year, but it was really stressful. I worked 80-hour weeks and pulled all-nighters a couple of times a week. It was during the pandemic, so we were still at home. It was isolating. I started to feel my depression and anxiety creep back up, and I knew I had to get rid of it. I couldn't risk my sanity for the sake of money."

Carli Michelle Wright learned meditation, breathwork, and yoga during law school and credits them with alleviating anxiety and depression. She began a high-paying associate role in January 2021 at one of the world's largest law firms earning $200,000, which strained her mental and physical health. Long hours, isolation during the pandemic, and returning depression prompted her to leave a second firm after continued 60- to 80-hour weeks and attend a transformative meditation retreat in Spain. She lived off savings and credit while attempting to start a meditation business, moved to friends' couches, worked as a receptionist, and sometimes slept overnight at the office.

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