It can be terrifying. It's difficult, it's different, but it isn't something you are incapable of.
Watching someone you love struggle with that ominous feeling of the weight of the world on their shoulders is painful, and it's often challenging to recognize what you can do to help them.
The first and most important thing that you must do is love them. Love them through what they are going through. Let them know that their worth is not conditional.
Show them that their insecurities do not define them, show them that in their struggle they are not alone. You have to become patient with what you may not easily understand, as challenging as this may be.
Through their tears, you must reassure them that there is so much purpose surpassing the moment at hand. It's extremely difficult for someone struggling with depression to see past the current horizon. It feels like looking at a sunset and believing that there is nothing beyond what you can see.
For some, this is easier to understand than it is for others, but for someone who is depressed, this is a recurring, often agonizing reality.
Encourage the struggling people that you love that there is always more than we can see, always more than we can feel at one moment.
Each day we are able to experience millions of different feelings and thoughts. Each day we are offered a plethora of new opportunities.
If this struggling person is you, try your hardest to do the same for yourself.
I know that this is easier said than done. It's one thing to love those that you care about who struggle with depression, but it is a totally different story when the person you need to care for is yourself.
It's more challenging because we often look at our own flaws under an intense amount of scrutiny, like we are examining them under a microscope, being sure not to miss even one.
This being said, try to show yourself the grace and love that you strive to show those that you care about. Recognize that with every shortcoming, every imperfection, you are worthy of the love that you give.
