Hiding Behind a Smile
Holding onto hope.
Depression does not define you.
For too long I lived my life hating who I was. It was a constant battle inside my head between who I wanted to be versus what depression would permit me to become. I allowed it to define me because of my lack of self- worth and because at the time, people had labeled me as who they saw. I was the “freak,” “miserable,” “pathetic” and “self- absorbed.” Instead of trying to understand my problem, I became the problem. Therapy and medications defined me as damaged. People withdrew from my company. I became isolated to the point that suicide seemed ideal. After all, who could possibly miss me when I was gone?