The Unmet Hero

You have not stumbled across this article by accident. If you are suffering from depression and/or anxiety, please take this moment to absorb this timely information.

First things first. Depression is one of those topics that can only be truly understood by someone who encountered it. I have experienced it first hand. Once upon a time, I was what one would call a “normal” individual. Positive, encouraging others, full of aspirations and desires, until BOOM...it hit out of nowhere. People tried to help me by finding a root cause for the problem. I even tried to find some deeply rooted issue that lied within causing this deep turmoil. What I found was nothing. This is literally how it happened: One day I was “normal”, the next day, I was drowning in darkness.

From counselors, to doctors visits, I had tried everything. I was so impacted by its severity that I could no longer hold down food. Depression took a toll on my body, my weight, my mind, my relationships, my every minute and every moment. As you may know, flooding you with details of a bad experience do not help the situation, yet, I desired to inform you of a few details to show you that I can relate. To sum up the symptoms of this tragedy, eventually, I began to lose touch with reality, resulting in losing even the precious motivation and will to live. At this point, I knew something was terribly wrong. I fought and fought until I had no more fight left in me. I knew that SOMETHING or SOMEONE was going to have to bring me up out of this. I could no longer do it on my own.

After all the thoughtful assistance from loved ones and medical professionals, you know the only thing a struggling individual needs? It’s to hear that they CAN overcome this. That it is POSSIBLE to enter back into a world of joy. And most of all, to see someone with the same experience tell them that they overcame and no longer deal with it. I am here to tell you just that. Forget about what that person told you about not healing and dealing with it the rest of your life. Forget about that comment about you having a mental illness. When you overcome this (sooner than you think) you will then be able to help pull someone else from the pit, just like I am today.

Now, how did my healing happen? I will cut right to it. It was a CHOICE. I was not healed by “chance & timing”. I began to see my overcoming in small increments. It’s about DAILY VICTORIES. Don’t think about year from now, a month from now, not even two days from now. If so, you will only feel discouraged. Think about winning in THIS day. When you overcome each day at a time, you become another day closer to your VICTORY.

This tug of war is a battle against your hope and your will to live. Once you know this, you will find the unmet strength deep within to raise your fists and swing again. Remember, this is a journey, not an overnight process. But it will consist only of what you make it. Each day will become less of a weight to carry.

I want to leave you with one last token that greatly impacted me. I was at the end of my rope just driving down the road. A song came on the radio called “Hero” by Mariah Carey. Here is what the song said,

“There's a hero

If you look inside your heart

You don't have to be afraid

Of what you are

There's an answer

If you reach into your soul

And the sorrow that you know

Will melt away

And then a hero comes along

With the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside

And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone

Look inside you and be strong

And you'll finally see the truth

That a hero lies in you”.

....WOW I began to sob like a BABY hearing these words. The answer had finally hit me! That last line. A HERO LIES IN YOU. I was the hero! The hero was inside of me the entire time! I was waiting on ME to pull me out. At this moment, I knew I would live. Reach within yourself and rescue YOU. No one else can think positive for you. No one else can speak positivity into the atmosphere for you. No one else can keep walking for you but YOU.

I am alive today and so are you! I am not only living, but laughing and loving each and everyday. Oh how I love this life that was graciously given to me! This will be your song again if you only believe. I wish you the best of blessings. And though you can’t see me, I am on the front row cheering you on for the win! Stay encouraged and never give up.