It occurred to me, recently, that there’s no such thing as “beating” depression. Not in the “I’m done, will never have to face it again” sense, let alone the “It’s gone until something else big comes along” sense. It’s a new fight every single day. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. And it doesn’t get a whole lot easier no matter how many days in a row I might win.
I can’t give up, though. The alternative is that I turn into a complete hermit wallowing in self-pity for the rest of my life. Unacceptable So… I keep at it. I’m managing fairly well lately, all things being equal.
And I haven’t turned to pharmaceuticals (prescription or otherwise) to keep me going. This gives me some pleasure and satisfaction, not that I look down on those who really do need the prescription chemicals to maintain balance. For me, it’s just that I don’t want to end up following in a particular set of footsteps…