Even after you’ve fought with depression for years, even once you have come out the other side, some days will be hard. I know that’s not what you want to hear (gods know, it isn’t what I wanted to hear!), but it is important for you to understand, because it doesn’t mean anything about you, your worth, or your overall happiness. Life is a series of ups and downs for everyone.
Even after you’ve beat depression, there will be days when you wake up feeling alone (even though you are surrounded by people who love and support you)
Days when everything relies on you, and you know you aren’t up to the task (even though you’ve done this very thing a dozen or a hundred times)
Days when everything you read feels like a personal attack (even though the author never met you)
Days when you keep saying yes even when your heart cried no (even though you know better)
Days when you are trapped behind a pane of glass, watching the world go by but unable to touch it (even though you swore you would never feel like this again).
And those days will suck. But they will pass, just like they did before. No matter how frightened you are, no matter how badly you want to curl up under your desk, no matter how certain you are that everything is ruined forever (forever!) – it will pass.
So what do you do while you wait for it to pass? Practice self-love. Remind yourself of your successes. Tell yourself all the things you wish others would say to you. Breathe. Go for a walk. Get outside. Play with a pet. Read. Take a bubble bath. Spray some perfume. Call a friend. Watch ridiculous videos. Most importantly, be patient and gentle with yourself. And if you are having a hard day, and you are having trouble believing what I’ve said, that’s ok. You don’t have to believe anything that does not feel true in your heart. But, when you are ready to step forward into the light again, I will be waiting, cheering you on.
