Be Kind to Yourself

Please don’t offer sympathy or pity… that is not the purpose for what I’m about to say.

And there’s a reason for that. For me, sympathy and pity is the result of feeling like someone has been unfairly victimized in some way. Something bad happened to them, or in their life, and now we’re concerned and/or feel sorry for them.

But I don’t consider myself a victim of my depression. It’s not really a fun place to be in, but every time I have a bout of depression, I learn more about myself. I get better at honing down my true priorities. I learn to better appreciate what I already have. I grow from it. Every. Single. Time.

Now, it’s not the most energetically pleasing place to be. I don’t want to do much. My excitement is hard to muster. Things aren’t as funny. Etc.

But I’ve learned that it’s part of me. It’s part of my cycles. I know what triggers it. I know what to do to get through it. I know it’s never permanent.

And most importantly, the intensity and the duration of my depressive bouts have significantly reduced over the years. I used to JUST BE depressed. But now I’m only occasionally down.

Now, all of that being said, this is not me encouraging you to battle your depression alone. I’m very open about mine, like how I’m feeling it currently, and I talk to people honestly about it, as I am with you now. I don’t let it dictate me.

But I’m not you.

So if you’re struggling, please talk to someone about it. It’s ok if there’s something wrong… that just means there’s a way to fix it, work through it, or best yet, like me, learn to use it to your advantage.

Be kind to yourself.