Recovering from darkness.

One of the hardest things in life that you may have to deal with is trying to recover from the darkness. I try all of the time to describe depression to others who have may not have bee through it, and I find I really struggle to find the appropriate words and scenarios. I will tell you that it is suffocating. It almost feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest, blocking the air from your lungs. It can also cause an insignificant amount of guilt because deep down, you know that other people pick up on your feelings, and it is hard to be around someone who is suffering from all of the feelings that come as a part of depression. So, it is hard deep down knowing that you may be affecting others with a mental illness that is certainly no fault of your own. Recovering from this is kind of an oxymoron as you never recover from it. Unfortunately, it can sneak up on you anytime it chooses to. However, there can be recovery periods. The first step in my recovery was learning to love myself and accepting my life as is. For a very long time, I struggled with being in a wheelchair and being different from my peers. It would be fair to say that perhaps others didn't understand what it was like to live with a disability so they took advantage of me to get an idea and make themselves feel better. That is what I learned from bullying. even though it was horrible, it carried with it some valuable lessons. The second most valuable step is to appreciate your life for what it is. You may have very little when compared to some of your other friends or family members, but that is not what matters most in life. what matters most is how you handle what you have been given. the better you handle that, the easier your life will become. Take it from me.