Dear friend,
First off, I want you to know that you are not alone. Mental illnesses affect a large portion of the population, but this does not discredit they way you are feeling. The aches and pains are hard to get through, I know. The world around you stigmatizes your disorder and makes it harder to get through everyday life. You are valid. I know that your illness makes you feel isolated, and it sucks. There are some people out there who understand your exact pain, but there are way more people who understand the pain just enough to care and listen and love. Find them and let them in. The funny thing about pain is that it is always less painful when someone is feeling it with you.
For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been carrying this pain and trying to live as good a life as you can with that damned devil riding your back pulling you down. You have been trying to fix the source of it, trying to deaden it, trying to deny it, and trying to cover it up. What I want you to know is that in those moments when you’re most broken by it, when you’re feeling it the deepest, when you’re standing honest and naked in front of it crying, that is precisely when I love you the most. That is when I remember again why I wanted to be your friend in the first place. Because you’re a real person, you suffer this crap and yet you keep on trying, every day. You’re kind of a hero to me.
Our lives are a journey on the earth. As we move forward, we will not only figuratively experience the geography of life: the exhilaration of high mountains, the tranquility of calm meadows, the isolation of treacherous canyons, but we also experience the seasons of life: the hope of spring, the abundance of summer, the harvest of autumn, and yes, the darkness and depression of winter. Just as we continuously experience the change in seasons, we will also experience the contrast between canyons and mountains many times in our lives. Some winters and canyons last longer than others, it is true. But as someone who frequently struggles with depression, I can promise you that the springs do come and that there are paths out of the canyons and into the light.
The pain you are feeling may feel like it won't ever end, but I promise it will and things will get better. You are not alone in this battle. There is always someone who will listen, and always someone who will love you. Life gets hard and can be extremely overwhelming at times, and sometimes we all just need a little help, but that's perfectly OK. You can beat this and you will!
Just know that I love you. Know that I would be sad if you weren’t here on this lovely Earth to grace us with your presence, and so would other people. Know that life can become good. Know that you are not alone. You are loved. You are strong, you are brave. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. Keep going. Just keep going.
Love,
Your friend
