The Road To Recovery

“I’m fat.”  “I’m ugly.”  “I hate my life.”  “I feel like there’s no hope.”  “Sometimes I just feel like killing myself.”  How can a beautiful person with so much to live for, so much to be happy about, have such thoughts?  Can’t they just think positively?  This is how I felt about depression in the past, that is, until I found myself in the grips of this affliction myself.  There were days when just simply getting out of bed was a chore.  And forget about being able to work – I didn’t want to talk to or spend time with anybody.  That in itself is a paradox, as being alone was one of the main causes of my depression!   My road to recovery began as I sat, zombie-like, in front of my computer, and a random Facebook post appeared, saying “What if when you wake up in the morning, you have only those things you thanked Heavenly Father for the night before?”  My entire perspective changed.  No longer was I depressed about not being able to see my beautiful new granddaughter.   Now I was thankful to have her, thankful for my son who sends pictures and videos, thankful for the technology which makes it possible!  But it is a long road.  Though I am no longer alone, tears were frequent, and still happen from time to time, even with medication, even with the love of my incredible, amazing wife.  She herself suffers from depression, and we support each other.  There can never be too many compliments given.  It is fun to catch a person pleasing you.  Making a note of the person who pleased you, what he or she did to please you, and how you responded to them.  And we follow wise counsel, such as the following from Jeffrey R. Holland. “Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend.”  Speaking of such love, Thomas S. Monson states “That love never changes… It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful.  God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve it.  It is simply always there.”