kyleehenke:

if there’s anything i’ve learned about dealing with mental illness, especially depression, it’s never about having one big breakthrough and then living happily ever after. i think i expected that from myself which only caused me to hate myself more when relapses happened.

but what it is -actually- about is saving yourself over and over, picking yourself back up after each fall and not letting it keep you beat. and that’s not a hopeless thought. it’s freeing to know that recurring depression is perfectly normal, and i am not a failure when it kicks me in the teeth. so long as im surviving and seeking help, i am still winning. you HAVE to redefine what success in mental illness means in order to stop beating yourself up.