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However hard things are, there is light at the end of the tunnel

Depressed woman

You're strong because nothing is as hard as battling your own thoughts every single day.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

What you need to know:

  • However much you try, you can never pinpoint the exact time when everything started going haywire.
  • You, a bubbly loud-mouthed extrovert before, can't even recognise yourself; you don’t like people anymore.

It is at such times that you really sit down and think. Dissect all the minute details of your life with needle eye accuracy.

Sadly, however much you try, you can never pinpoint the exact time when everything started going haywire. Life started falling apart, you began to doubt yourself, you started doubting God.

Anxiety kicked in. Depressive episodes became a normal in your life and waking up started feeling like a chore you had to spend hours preparing for.

When a little task like making a cup of coffee overwhelmed you to the point that you had a breakdown just thinking of it.

When talking to people became a chore you loathed; when things you previously enjoyed immensely became a pain.

You just don’t find the enjoyment anymore; you have no idea just how it happened and don’t how to get out of that messy situation. 

But the damage is already done; the anxiety has already crept in.

Mental health issues

You're so distrustful of everyone even the ones who want nothing but the best for you.

You, a bubbly loud-mouthed extrovert before, can't even recognise yourself; you don’t like people anymore. You can’t seem to be able to build strong loving relationships anymore. Before, you did it with so much ease that it was almost a deeply ingrained part of you. You wonder what could have happened had things not gone this way. What if depression had not hit you? What if anxiety hadn’t crippled you?

What if you hadn’t broken up with him? What if? What if? So many questions. 

But the reality is that the pieces have already fallen apart. It’s now up to you to figure out how to start putting them back together.

To everyone battling mental health issues out there, you're not weak, you’re not being an attention seeker for speaking out. You’re not a burden, your feelings are valid. You deserve to be happy.

And you're strong because nothing is as hard as battling your own thoughts every single day. I believe in you wherever you are, and you're a warrior for making it this far. So go ahead and give your best. You're a champion. Just the way you are.

Are you aged 10-20 and would like to be Nation’s young reporter? Email your 400-600-word article to [email protected]