Mental illnesses are horribly isolating at times, this is a message for all those who are struggling right now. Whether you are someone I know or a stranger far away, this applies to you. Heck, this isn't purely for people who are finding their mental health a challenge right now, but includes all those who are struggling with life or situations being put their way.
Dear wonderful person;
Yes you, if you're reading this letter then the first thing I want to say... is that you are worthy to be doing so. The way you're feeling right now, you probably don't think you deserve any extra love, kindness or compassion. But the truth is you do. In fact right now you deserve it even more than usual, because the fact that you're feeling back is reason enough. I can imagine right now, you're wanting to give up at times, throw in the towel and stop trying to get through the day. A blanket fort probably feels like a safer alternative to life... and for now, perhaps it is and that's totally ok.
You'd probably quite like someone to come along with a magic wand and make everything feel ok again. I really wish I could be that person, the one to take away the sadness or the struggles and make it all better. Unfortunately I can't do it right now as much as I would like to. All I can say, is that it's not going to feel exactly like this forever. Of course there might be days when you feel worse, but I believe and hope that better days will come too. They might not be the recovered all singing and dancing days you might anticipate or wish for, but they could be days where it hurts a tiny bit less or the sun just seems a little bit brighter. The thing is, even when everything seems completely hopeless, if you keep a look out you can find or spot the tiny bits of goodness in the world. It might be hard to find them at first, but I assure you, if you keep practicing and noticing... you'll be amazed at what is out there for you to see.
Your problems are valid. Yes there are people in the world who are experiencing different struggles to you, but it doesn't make what you're feeling or they are more or less important. You problems are your own, it's ok to identify them and take ownership of them. But at the same time, if you just want to put them aside for this moment and take your mind off them. That's ok too!
Your moment will come. Right now might not be the time that you do the most exciting and groundbreaking moments of your life happen. But that's ok. You will get through this challenging time and great things will come to you. Take this time to get through this moment, but try not to focus on needing to make it completely better and fixed immediately. It will come.
Life is like an amazing novel. If someone asks you to summarise a book you've just finished... I'm fairly certain you will remember the basic storyline and plot but not all of the intricacies that came together to form it. You won't remember which chapters made you particularly happy or sad, but have a more general idea of the whole story. That novel is like your life. There may be chapters that are hard to get through, or feel like they will never end... but when you look back you will see them part of a rich story and not the crux of it.
I really hope you feel better soon, and if not totally better... just a little bit will do. You will get through this, it's going to be ok. You can do this!
All my love,
Kate
You can read Kate's full blog here