Imagine losing someone very close to you. Can’t communicate with them, can’t see them. All you have is memories.

Imagine your friends or people you thought were there for you are gone, not there when you need the most.

Imagine seeing your mom give up on you and lose hope.

Imagine getting bad grades and feeling dumb and worthless.

Imagine every time you smile, trying to get through the pain, something happens and things get worse, which leave you feeling like you don’t want to smile or laugh anymore.

Let that sit for a moment. Think about how you would feel. Alone, sad, like no one is there and you can’t just be happy. Now imagine that feeling turning into hours, then days, then, before you know it, months, and everyday feels worse.

Then what? Where does it end? It ends with moving forward. It ends with not stopping. It ends with fighting through the sadness and feelings of depression. It ends by holding on to the truth. It ends with you beating these feelings. You can fight them all you want and, at times, you may even just want to give up, but don’t; you will seriously like the outcome. You might feel alone and sad, but when you talk to somebody and let things out, when you share the things that feel heavy, you will see a great change in the way you act and see. You may not always hear what you want to hear back but that’s what makes the process work – let  yourself be heard and hearing other people’s stories and perspectives. Just remember:

Don’t give up.

Fight.

Win.

Depression doesn’t control you.

You control it.