Acceptance

I feel very much that I will never be, as far as my mental health goes, "all" better. I believe that I will always be somewhat depressed and anxious. So can accepting that somehow make my life happier? I would like to be free of depression & anxiety, but since I am 56, have always felt this way and have had a lot of therapy, I just don't think it's going to happen. I feel like I have something fundamentally "wrong" or "bad" about me and this is why no amount of drugs or therapy can get rid of my mental illness. But if I can just accept it and stop fighting it, maybe my life will be less painful.

I try to accept my "differentness" daily. Sometimes I'm better at it than at other times.

Hi Jean. There is certainly nothing BAD about you! We, who have depression, probably inherited it. If you look back into your family, you'll probably find someone who also had it -- and so they so generously gave it to us.

Yes, it's good to accept our difference. And being "different" isn't BAD. Many of us have several diagnoses we have to accept. I'm lucky in that I just have to accept that I have clinical depression. But physically, I'm disabled, so there's a few other things I've had to accept. LOL

There is no point in fighting it because like you said, we're NOT going to get rid of it. We may just as well accept it, and get on with life! Life is GREAT if we LET it be great. We do not have to sit in a corner and cry over our lot in life. We can overcome some of our depression just by our attitude towards it.

Best of luck and thanks for the post. Hugs, Lee

Hello, Jean.

I fear you are right, but I doubt one person alive will ever be "all better" or even perfectly mentally healthy to begin with. Take solace in knowing that you're the only one who feels this way. I've hated myself for as long as I can remember, and it's hard undoing decades of self-loathing. But if you make any progress at all, celebrate! Because it's just a little bit more evidence that you are stronger than it.

Wishing you love and kindness! --Ari