Depression is fundamentally similar to a weed. It can strangle your will power and desire until there’s nothing left inside of you. And, as you tumble down the rabbit hole, falling for what feels like forever, you lose hope of salvation. I hit that point over the summer. I would spend days in bed, only getting up to go to work or in vain attempts to hide the fact I was depressed.

Then I discovered something new. I discovered a passion, I was introduced to long boarding. Right then it became the reason, the motivation, and the inspiration for me to get up and get outside. Originally in the beginning of the summer I had bought a longboard because I was no longer satisfied with who I was, and I decided it was time to change myself. I knew nothing about long boarding, but decided I wanted to try something new, and something to me that seemed exotic. So I bought my first board off of Amazon, and let's just say the purchase was worth it.

At first I struggled to ride and find my balance, but something about that first ride, made me happier than I had been in a long time. Finally, I had found that inner peace and happiness I was seeking. The wind flowing through my hair, the vibrations of the board as I rode along, everything about it just felt so good and so natural. In that first moment, everything in the world, just felt so in sync. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.

Eventually I kept riding, and it started helping me. It became the only reason I would leave the house. I would spend hours just cruising around, and for the first time in so long, I finally felt free. I finally felt myself riding out of that rabbit hole of depression. It was the start of my self-healing journey. The movement of riding with the air and sun still as I cruise on my board allowed me so many more opportunities and perspectives. I would ride to a little local café and spend hours writing, or ride to a garden and just spend time sitting there amongst the flowers, taking in nature and letting the beauty of it wash away the pain. Long boarding got me out of my slump and the thrill of it all give me the opportunity to find the true happiness I had desired for so long.

Find something you love, find something that makes you happy, and never let go. Whatever it is, writing, long boarding or exercise; find your muse. Find your happy thing, and let yourself live through like I did.