Depression is a horrible and debilitating disorder, but much like the saying that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and one woman wrote for Popsugar how going through depression made her a better person.
As Jen Porcelli writes, she describes depression as “climbing up treacherous mountains, hanging from a ledge grasping for dear life, hiding from all of the dangerous monsters that pretty at night.” But she also said that in several ways depression “made me my best self.”
First off, “I’m honest with myself…As soon as I notice something doesn’t feel right, if I feel that same sadness or anxiety, I own it and I talk about it. Instead of denying or internalizing those feelings, I immediately work on dealing with them.”
Going through depression also makes her “more empathetic….Everyone has their own story, their own cracks in the foundation that make them who they are. I’m so much more aware of this now.”It also makes her “value self-care,” as well as trust her inner strength she didn’t know she had. “Some days I’m still fighting it, but I’ve never been more confident in my strength.”
Lastly, Porcelli says depression “game me a purpose. As a part of my treatment, I participated in group therapy with other people who suffer from mental health issues. It was there, in a room with 20 strangers, I realized I wasn’t alone anymore…I’m proud of the person I am as a result of depression, and that makes me the real champion.
