I have lived with depression since 1999. The first few years were the worst. Admitting or realising you have a problem really is the first step on the path of getting better or at least managing the condition. Before that I was living a life absent of all joy and with a sense of impending doom hanging over me but still trying to function as I always had, still trying to present the same Me to everyone around me.
It was impossible and it nearly broke me. Judging myself by the standards I had always set for myself and seeing the reactions of people around me to my new reality without any understanding of what was happening to me.. it was a very difficult time.
Once I had been diagnosed as clinically depressed and once I accepted that diagnosis, I could at least start living my life with some understanding of what was now required of me to survive and adapt. I started to think very carefully about myself and I started to read about other peoples experiences.
Today, I live with my condition taking it one day at a time, much like the advice to alcoholics. If you think too much about coping with depression for the rest of your life it can feel like a hopeless battle. But if we focus on taking it one day at a time, trying to get through today the best we can and let tomorrow take care of itself when it comes.. suddenly things start to feel much more manageable. I can cope with today no matter what happens for it’s only one day.
You may think if I am unable to say that I have beaten depression that my advice on the subject is worthless. There has been no final showdown, no final victory. To those people I say this
“Do you think the fireman who has faced 100 fires has an advantage over the novice fireman, yet to experience a single blaze?
Well I fight fires, every single day”