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

The author, not pictured, was on SNAP benefits while figuring out her new career. Moisés ÁVILA / AFPCarli Michelle Wright worked at a high-power law firm and made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.She quit for the sake of her mental and physical health.While working part-time between careers, she turned to SNAP for assistance.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with meditation teacher Carli Michelle Wright. It has been edited for length and clarity.During my second year of law school in Chicago in 2018, I discovered meditation, breathwork, and yoga as a way to help me be productive and study; I believe it helped cure my anxiety and depression.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 physicallyI 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.I moved to a smaller firm and made a little less, but I was still working 60-hour weeks. I ended up leaving the firm and went to a meditation retreat in Spain that changed my life. I had a groundbreaking spiritual experience there that told me to let go of this career.I decided I needed a pivotI came back to Chicago and lived off my savings and credit cards for several months as I tried to start a business teaching meditation, breathwork, and yoga. I still had my apartment lease and all my living expenses, as well as student loans.I moved out of my apartment when it became too expensive and lived on friends' couches. I worked as a receptionist at an office and would sometimes sleep in the office overnight. Eventually, I moved to Los Angeles to live with a friend and worked at yoga studios there part-time.I turned to government assistance to pay for foodI was making about $25 an hour part-time, but it wasn't enough to support me. I turned to SNAP for help with getting food. I was on it in Illinois for about a year, and then reapplied in California. You must renew it every six months; they will verify your income to ensure you remain eligible.I was on it for about a year in California. Los Angeles is obviously very expensive, and I was living with a bunch of friends at the time to keep costs low.I am no longer using SNAP benefits, but it helped me through a tough transitionI felt shame at first because society looks down on assistance. But after thinking about it, I realized that I've had a job since I was 15 years old, and I've paid into this my whole working life. I'm 34, so it's been quite some time. I shouldn't feel guilt or shame. When people fall on hard times, they should have a safety net to help and support them, and lift them back up to where they want to be at equilibrium.Once that one financial piece was taken care of, it took a load off me, both physically and emotionally. It's supposed to be uplifting, not demeaning, and to be treated like you're disposable and undeserving — people deserve to eat.This January, I got a part-time job teaching children's wellness at a TK through 8th-grade school. I teach them mindfulness and emotional regulation. I am also an entrepreneur, with my dream job of coaching meditation, breathwork, and yoga. I am no longer on SNAP, but I am grateful it was there when I needed it and helped get me where I am.Read the original article on Business Insider

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