Hard work

I was talking to a friend recently about depression.  She has come out the other side and lives with her depression and anxiety everyday.  Most days I feel like I too am on my way there.  We were talking about the process and how hard it is.  It's hard work to get to this point.  It means accepting responsibility for our own emotions.  It means looking at the root causes and figuring out what makes us unhappy.  It means accepting that there are places of hurt inside of us and figuring out what to do with those.  It means accepting our strengths and weaknesses for what they are. Its work.  Often it is terrible.  It means somehow holding onto hope that things will get better in the end, that the terrible times are worth it.  We both know people who want to be better but seem to want an instant cure.  They seem to want someone to save them, to give them the magic pill or cure.  It doesn't exist.  At least, not in my experience.  There is no real way to deal with things other than to deal with them.  No one can save another person from these things.  Without committing to doing the work ourselves, nothing ever changes.  It's hard.  For me, and for my friend, it's been worth the effort.  I am sure I have further to go, but I am getting there.