Life Does Get Better

Over 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression globally, according to the World Health Organization. That's a lot of people each with varying types and stages but all equally important. Depression is categorized as a state that can cause long periods of sadness or loss of interest in many things. Depression can take ahold of peoples lives quickly by making it so they have difficulty focusing, doing physical exercise and some depression is severe enough that people choose suicide over continuing to battle their symptoms.

Disclaimer: I am by NO MEANS a medical advisor however, if you read my blog and have suicidal thoughts please seek help immediately .

The first step in surviving your depression is recognizing you have depression. A huge part of having depression is the constant thought of "over exaggeration" where people think you are attention seeking or overexaggerating your sadness. That is and always will be a load of shit and stop listening to them. You can't have other people telling you what you feel, because they don't experience it; everyone has different emotional caps as well, someone can handle more or less than another person standing next to them. Your depression is justified and very much real and do not let people gaslight you into thinking otherwise, since you are the one experiencing it.

The next step is understanding that having depression does not make you damaged or broken. People will tell you a lot about yourself when it comes to mental difficulties such as; just get over it or just think positively as if it's not easier said then done. Distance yourself from those people, they are going to be toxic for your recovery process and you should only surround yourself with people who support you and take your feelings seriously. People who try to diminish your problems might not be doing it out of malicious intent but if they do not give you the opportunity to explain and try to understand they are only going to put more negative thoughts in your head. For me, I have enough negativity floating around and don't really have time for negativity from external factors so I'm going to need them to get on somewhere else.

Insert Step #3, a kickass support system! Find people that make you happy and help you fight off those demons inside your mind. Whether it be your friends or family or even a support group. There are a ton of support groups for young adults all throughout the country and they are amazing, especially because you now understand that you are not alone. In my depression, loneliness is a huge trigger for me, so it makes me feel better knowing I'm not crazy and that all the thoughts and sadness in my mind are valid and more normal than I think.

After you find that kickass support system and you understand your depression it is now time to figure out the best course of action to feel better. There are hundreds of treatments for depression, ranging to help mild depression to severe depressive episodes.

Common Treatment Options for Clinical Depression (webmd.com)

Above is an amazing link for treatment options for depression, since I am not a licensed professional I thought it would be beneficial to add this link to show some treatment options. I have gone to therapy multiple times and I think it does help because it gives you a way to talk out your problems with an unbiased party. One of the biggest things I learned when going to therapy is that all of the answers to my problems are in my own head and it is easy to find a solution when you put your mind to it, but again that was for me personally. Everybody has different ranges of symptoms and types of depression so what works for me might not work for you and that is okay.

The final steps are a mixture of acceptance and patience. In my person opinion and from people I have met I don't think depression ever goes away. I think that it just gets easier to manage and live with to the point where you don't think about it anymore and it's not as prevalent. I like to use an analogy from a girl I met in group therapy in college, she had had depression since she was thirteen and at the point I met her she was 24. She told us that depression is like someone you love dying, you'll always remember it and it'll always hurt but as time goes on the pain becomes complacent, dull and not as horrid as when it first happens. I didn't understand at the time because at that point I was in the middle of a complete mental breakdown and my depression was coming at me full throttle but now, I understand.

I am happy and it does get better, you start to think about things that make you feel better and the sadness fades.