Living with Depression is a lot like piloting your own rocket ship. Occasionally, you'll break through the top of the cloud cover and feel the warmth of the sun reflected on your visor. However, just when you're about to break free of the planet's gravitational pull, your engines crap out and you descend back down into the turbulent darkness.
The rest of the time, you're just spiraling down through the clouds, with no instruments and alarms blaring, wondering if you're going to finally impact on the surface below, or if your engines will miraculously reignite. Usually, they do, and the cycle repeats itself.
Perhaps you're reading this (that much at least I think we can agree on), and you're suffering in silence. Most people don't want to hear you're depressed, because they don't really understand, so you bottle it all away and act like nothing is wrong. Or, maybe you do speak out, but you feel as though you're shouting into the void. Or, well-meaning friends recommend throwing medication at it so it just "goes away," perhaps so you don't bother them with it anymore. Sound familiar? If it does (and I sincerely hope it doesn't, but Life can get pretty bumpy along the way―for all of us), please just bear in mind that there are many of us who share your pain. Depression makes us feel isolated, like we're cut off from everyone else. (And let me tell you, social media does not help. You have to remember you're seeing a highly curated slice of other people's lives, presented in the best possible light. #allthefilters #allthetime.)
I'm not writing this to preach at you about what you should do, because different tactics work for different people. I'm just here to remind you that you are not alone. You would be surprised to know who else is in the same boat you are. That's oddly encouraging when you honestly stop to think about it. (Although, overthinking is usually the culprit in the first place. I write from experience.)
It's a harsh world, or so it sometimes appears. Personally, I try to avoid the news whenever possible, because ultimately their mission is to sell ad space. And drama gets those ratings, kids. The real world isn't really good or bad, ultimately, it's just the stage upon which we act our little parts, trying desperately not to flub our lines or trip through the curtain. And, of course, we do all of those things, and then pray that no one notices.
Such is life, my friend. You are not alone. There is a Universe filled with beauty and love out there, even if it feels like your rocket will never launch again. The Sun is always there, even on a cloudy day, and it will definitely appear again.
...at least until it explodes a billion years from now, but you probably didn't need to hear that.
