Depression hits you out of nowhere.

All of a sudden, a deep overwhelming sadness envelopes every inch of your body. You get discouraged, upset and hurt. The best days you have are when you're numb because at least you can't feel the kind of sadness that is so deep it is painful. The world keeps turning while you're simply going through the motions. Eventually, you realize that just because you're breathing doesn't mean that you are living life. Your family keeps growing, your friends are falling in love and opportunities slip through your fingertips as you fight this inner battle.

You are not alone.

I know how it feels to be driving down the road and burst out crying and not know why. When your friends ask why your eyes are red, you shrug your shoulders and say you're just tired. I know how it feels to sob into your pillow late at night because you don't know what's wrong with you. Part of you doesn't feel like you're lying because you are tired. You are tired of waking up and feeling numb. You are tired of forcing yourself to smile when you're breaking down inside. I know what it feels like to feel completely and utterly helpless.

I know what it feels like to be alone.

There were times I went into the bathroom to breakdown because the noise in my head saying I'm not good enough or worthy enough was louder than my control. And there were times where I was sleeping and didn't want to wake up. I was scared of the person that was consuming my thoughts. I was unfamiliar with the person staring back at me in the mirror. While it may be easy for someone who is familiar with depression to understand what it is like, it's incredibly difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it. Looking back, I still struggle to make sense of it all.

I remember not knowing why I felt the way that I did. I knew that this was not something I was going to "snap out" of. No amount of sleep, exercise or pills was going to solve my depression. There were times I wanted to give up and there were times I didn't believe in myself. Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that I had to be stronger than the voice in my head telling me I am not good enough, pretty enough, or worthy enough for the world.

The worst part of all this wasn't the medication, therapy or emptiness within me, but the guilt I had for even feeling this way. Nothing was wrong yet everything felt wrong. I felt like an unappreciative daughter, sister and friend. I was ashamed because I had so many great things going on in in my life and I couldn't explain why I felt the way I did. My depression wasn't situational, it wasn't because I had done something terrible, it was a chemical imbalance.

What people don't understand is that depression is not something that can be cured like the common cold. It has and will always be a constant battle. Every day, I wake up with the fear that I may fall back into that terrible state. It's an illness that many people deal with yet often goes ignored. You are not defined by this illness and it does not make you weak or any less of a strong individual.

Trust me when I say you are more powerful than a mental illness. The fight is tough but so are you. If anything, know that you are not alone.