"Dear 1 in 5,
I've been there. I'm still there. I know what it's like to be paralyzed with panic. I know what it's like to cry so hard and so long that your eyes will barely open. I know guilt. I know pain. I know despair.
I also know that when your brain is sick, these feelings and states of existence can strike for (literally) no reason. You see, that's what a chemical imbalance will do. It creates physiological and emotional responses to things that aren't actually happening. It's the symptoms of a medical disease, the same way diabetes can cause a hyperglycemic attack or high blood pressure can cause a stroke.
There have been a couple of days over the years where I didn't want to stick around. I didn't want to stay in this life anymore. I was exhausted, I was depleted, and I wanted to give up. Fighting your own thoughts is tiring. I made small goals to just survive the next hour, and eventually; I climbed out of the hole.
I've been called dramatic. Crazy. Lazy. I've had my diagnoses used against me in arguments. The years I spent avoiding medication felt like riding a bicycle uphill, then I spent years tweaking medications to ensure the best outcome. I've been to 5+ therapists over the last decade and I've had one stint in inpatient treatment.
I've battled depression and anxiety for a long time and I know how dark and scary it gets. But, I have some messages for you. I'm not going to ask you to call a hotline, I'm just asking you to keep putting one foot in front of the other, because it can be better; it WILL be better."
