It May Seem Strange, But There’s An Upside To My Mental Illness
When I first received the diagnosis of depression, I was relieved. I felt a wave wash over me. I’m not crazy, I thought. It’s not all in my head. But as I processed the information, as I processed the fact that I had a mental illness, I began to struggle. I began to feel “less than.”
And I felt that way for most of my 16-year diagnosis: damaged, broken, and not okay. However, what time — and countless therapists — have taught me is that I am valuable. I am worthwhile. I am not my disease and, instead, I am just a person — a whole person, who happens to have an illness. Would I rather be “normal?” Of course. But since depression is part of the hand I was dealt, I have learned to play with what I have instead of longing for what I don’t and, in doing so, I have learned there is an upside to my mental illness…
(And a huge thanks to Bonbon Break and OurPact.)
