Don't run

For me, one of the most persistent lies I've believed--and acted on--about my depression is that it's something I can run away from.

This has looked different at different times. Sometimes, it's meant avoiding personal relationships, since they can bring me down. Other times, it was obsessing over one relationship or other, hoping and praying that it would be the one that could actually make me happy. Still other times, it was changing majors or schools in an effort to find something new, something exciting, something accepting. And yet other times, it was diving into a book or television series to the exclusion of most thoughts of reality, to be somewhere with people I could know, but where I didn't have to be known.

In any of these cases, a few things happened. First, I was really no happier (maybe temporarily, at best) when I was running away. Secondly, looking for fulfillment in those things only made things worse. Life without relationships is meaningless and miserable. Focusing all your hope on ONE person will always end in disappointment; no one can provide all that you need. The "right" activity, interest, hobby, whatever, can help give you direction, but it's not a total fulfillment. And, obviously, fiction isn't reality, and can't truly change yours.

As I've talked about, relationships are important. So are activities, things to engage your mind and keep you active. Distractions can be very useful, so long as they don't consume you.

The biggest problem with running away is that it's a waste of energy, which is often a pretty limited resource for someone struggling with depression. That, and it provides a false hope of a quick fix.

There is no quick fix to being depressed. It's a long road. It's a battle, pretty much every day. I get tired of fighting. Half the time, I'm worn before the day even begins. But life goes on, and I have to keep going. And I can.

So can you!