Recommended for you

Battling my Mind: What my Depression has Taught Me

Grateful for my struggles as they're the reason for my growth.

Nov 23, 2019

Battling my Mind: What my Depression has Taught Me

Having a mental illness undoubtedly makes life harder than it already is, and learning to love your life becomes one of the hardest battles you'll fight.

But, you know what's even harder than that? Learning to love your illness.

I let my depression define me for a long time; this contributes to the downfall of my social life, grades and relationships. I wanted to isolate myself and live in misery. Why would I want that? Because I didn't know who I was without those feelings. Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and self-harm was all I knew for a long time.It was a battle against myself to come out of this downwards spiral. To explain it better, picture a water slide. You're going down so fast, and even if you wanted to go back up, there's no way. The only option is down unless the water stops, and I never thought it would.

I had to wake up everyday and fight my own brain which was extremely exhausting: Mentally, physically and emotionally. However, looking back, I learned a lot.

Mental illness won't define you unless you allow it to.

You can let your illness define you. You can miss out on so many opportunities and blame it on your illness. You can live a miserable life if that's what you want. Or, you can wake up everyday and choose to fight the fight. You can choose to be strong and push through. You can choose recovery. You can choose to not let it define who you are.

Don't fight for the people who leave your life.

Don't chase after people who walk out on you. This will contribute to your illness and potentially make it worse. Learn to let go.

Recovery isn't linear.

Recovery is going to have it's highs and it's lows. You can have a great week and feel like you're on top, and then the next day feel like you're on the bottom again. It's important to understand that this is okay. Accept it, take that day to feel your emotions, and then promise yourself that the next day you're going to get back up and try again.

Not everyone will understand.

You're going to find people who don't believe in mental illness. You're going to find people who think you're lying. You're going to find people who make you feel like shit for having depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or whatever it is. However, trying to prove you're not lying is a waste of time. Arguing is a waste of time. Don't work yourself up over those people.

It's important to talk about it.

The first step we need to take to end the stigma around mental health is communication and education. We need to be talking, spreading awareness, building connections, etc. Share your story, share your struggles, share your recovery process. Be there for others and let others be there for you. There is no shame in mental health. There is no shame in struggling. There is no shame in recovery.

My depression taught me how to be grateful for what I have. It taught me to appreciate even the smallest things in life. It taught me how to feel sympathy and empathy.

My depression taught my kindness. It taught me to always be nice to others. It taught me to share my resources with others.

Most importantly, my depression taught me how to fight. How to be there for myself. How to get through the bad days and how to survive those "rock bottom" weeks. My depression gave me strength and for that, I am thankful.

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Entertainment

25 Beatles Lyrics: Your Go-To Guide for Every Situation

The Best Lines from the Fab Four

SUNY Binghamton

94414

Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less

best beatles lyrics

Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Smith College

132540

college students waiting in a long line in the hallway

StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

waitlisted

Recommended for you

Battling my Mind: What my Depression has Taught Me

Grateful for my struggles as they're the reason for my growth.

Mental illness won't define you unless you allow it to.

Don't fight for the people who leave your life.

Recovery isn't linear.

Not everyone will understand.

It's important to talk about it.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

Trending Topics

Top Creators

Trending Stories

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments

Subscribe to our
Newsletter