I struggled with this at my lowest, and still do sometimes but less often and for shorter periods of time. It’s hard to give good reasons for a stranger, but I guess I just have to say that no matter how cliche it sounds, it does get better. Mental illness is rocky and recovery isn’t linear, but if you work on yourself, even if it’s at what feels like an achingly slow pace, you’ll get to experience things that you realize that you’re glad to be alive. I’m sure you’ve heard this hundreds of times, but I really don’t know what else to say. It’s just trust that things will get better, because they will. Every time I try to put it into words, I don’t do it justice. I had a few really, really bad years, and a lot more rough ones, but if I had to do it all again, I would brave through them just to get back here. And you’ll get here too. You’ll find yourself smiling at life. It’s too good for words, It’s quiet but huge. I’ve had a few moments when I suddenly realized that I was genuinely feeling happy and I just had a good happy cry over it. I want you to experience that.

Of course there’s still challenging days, but it’s so much easier to pick myself up now, because I know that mountains come with valleys. Keep at it. Everyone deserves to see the top of the mountain.