A piece I wrote after being in a pretty dark place…
Days are still long, the nights are still cold. The feelings of sadness are so hard to control. The sorrow and pain are numbing at best. The thoughts are consuming, causing pain in the chest. Solutions are sought, will to try anything. Something must work to dull all the pain. Suppressing the feelings while trying to stay strong. Never masks years of shaming that something is wrong. Only thrown in the mix like dirt in a wound. Always hoping those words would fade away soon. But the truth is they won’t, the truth is they’ll stay. The truth is they’ll hurt and destroy and decay. The person that said it, will act as if they care. The fact is they don’t, they’re dumb to despair. The time will come soon, when you’ll have to stand tall. Screaming out loud, this will NOT be your ALL. You are much more, you are not defined by the wrong. You have simply been shaped, and it’s ok cause you’re strong. Depression isn’t a label or badge that defines. It’s a struggle and a journey going on in OUR minds. Don’t let it be something that beats you in life. Treat it so gently like the sharp edge of a knife. Learn how to handle it and then take control. Don’t let it sink you into its blackened filled hole. Choose to be amazing, choose to thrive. And in the darkest of moments, choose to be ALIVE.-dsa