Depression, the thing that cannot be completely understood unless you have it. The thing that can make someone feel alone while in a room full of people. For the longest time, I looked at my diagnosis as a curse on my life. I thought that there was something instinctively wrong with me that my peers did not have. This is a feeling that most people who deal with mental issues face. Because unlike most health issues, a mental health diagnosis is not something that can be seen or touched which is what most of us need to feel as if it is real. So, we walk around with our invisible battle scars that our friends and family can not conceptualize; carrying the weight of classes and stress alone can make 10 lbs feel like 300 lbs.
Much of our society will cause us to feel like we have to constantly be happy and at a hundred percent. Reality is, we aren't, we simply can not. You can not constantly be at 100% and ready to conquer everything. Life is full of curveballs. We are going to fail a text or miss a class. It is important to realize that and not allow the world to conquer you and break you. It wasn't until I said to myself, "Life is unpredictable and that I have no control over it so I should not give it control over me," that I learned to appreciate my battle scars. I began to look back and appreciate the little things that I had pushed through. I realized that, yes, my family and friends may not understand but that makes me even stronger because I did this on my own. Sometimes it is ok to be alone and spend time with yourself, even during the bad times.
This is not something that simply happens in a day, month or year. For those of us who struggle with depression, it is not easy. Contrary to popular belief it is doable. It is important to know that falling is not failing. Get up and continue your race. Yes, there are due dates and deadline, but if you miss them this time aim for it next time.
As college students, everything seems bigger than usual. We have classes, friends, and family and on top of all of that the thought of life after college. All of this can be overwhelming and seem impossible, but how can something be impossible when possible is in the word. Take time for yourself, away from the world, life, and classes. This diagnosis is not a curse, it something that you will pressure through. That in time will not define you but you will define.
