I know for me I can go a very long period where everything seems hopeless, even past memories that were happy at the time seem so incredibly sad because I can't access the joy anymore. But then when it lifts, I can see how my negative thought patterns and emotions are a symptom of my illness, they're not who I am, they're not my personality. They're a symptom of an illness, just like all illnesses have symptoms (some more severe than others and impacting individuals often in very different ways). When my therapist first explained this to me, it was a huge relief, I had basically convinced myself that how I felt was how I would continue to feel, it was who I am. Nothing could be further from the truth.

RJ78