An open letter to those suffering with depression/ anxiety

Subject: An open letter to those suffering with depression/ anxiety
From: Savanna
Date: 29 Jun 2016

I'm reaching out to you today because I really feel the need to talk to you about your health. because obviously that's important , duh right? lol .
I also just feel like writing for awhile and yes.... this is another one of those "stupid" open letters.
Dear ..reader
I know right now you may feel like the world is coming to an end or that you're trapped in a crippling, dark tunnel that you can't escape from. Right now you see no exit, right now you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, right now,you probably don't even think that there is one.
But I want to tell you that there certainly is.
Now please don't mistake me, I'm not here to tell you to "cheer up" or "just be happy" or the famous "just get over it", but I am telling you to hold on just a little bit longer, please.
I want to tell you that things change and it will get better over time .
You see, the illness comes and goes in waves it seems like sometimes... One day you feel perfectly fine- everything is rainbows and sunshine and any other lovely thing that you can dream up in your mind- and then before you know it, that dream slowly dissipates into that deep darkness again.
That dream turns into the nightmare you never wanted to experience again.
that's exactly what mental illness does . It turns you into someone that really, you don't understand.
I know you probably don't understand why you feel this way and that's okay, but your feelings are valid and your illness is real. It is just as real as someone who has an illness that is, well, more easy to understand. You can go to your doctor and tell them you have a stuffy nose and a headache and they usually just tell you that you have a cold and they might give you some medicine . But if you tell them that you can't do normal things like you used to, you can hardly even get out of bed at times, you don't want to be around anyone, you can't eat right, you can't even sleep at night or you sleep too much, you're worried everyone is judging you secretly... a voice in your head keeps telling you that you just can't, you feel like a body with no soul... A lifeless skeleton ....it's not as easy to just "fix".

Some might not understand you're illness or some might even tell you that you're crazy and that it's all in your head or that you're just "making up excuses" ...you've probably heard that before. I do understand and I'm writing this to you, because I have been in your exact place before , actually I still feel the way you do a lot too.
I know there's not much I can really do for you but be here and write this to you. Just know that you are not the only person who goes through this so don't think you're crazy or the only one who's experiencing this because you are NOT alone. Even when you feel like you are.
Remember to hold on to the little things, even the simplest things that make you smile.
Be proud of all your accomplishments, even if it's just getting out of bed in the morning.
Talk back to that voice in your head telling you that you can't , because you CAN. Don't give in to it. That's what it wants you to do.
Love your body and embrace every single one of your "flaws" or "inperfections", because you are perfectly imperfect, just like me. Just like everyone. You are YOU. and you are UNIQUE. and YOU are beautiful .

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