The past few years have been difficult, but I can honestly say that I am beginning to make some progress. Going through a mental health illness has been a roller coaster ride for me.
I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) about two years ago and it has had a very big impact on my life ever since. At first, thinking about having MDD made me feel ashamed and embarrassed because of the stigma surrounding it. But gradually, I started to learn more about it and become more comfortable talking about my mental illness with family and friends.
I have tried multiple different types of treatments including psychotherapy, medication, meeting with psychiatrists, attending support groups, behavior modification techniques, as well as lifestyle changes. While none of them are easy tasks to do alone; they have slowly helped improve my overall mood stability.
Learning how to cope with a long-term mental illness was not something I thought I could do, mostly because I wasn’t sure if anything would actually work for me. Thankfully, there are multiple resources available out there that can help you better manage your day-to-day living while still allowing you to take care of yourself at the same time. It is essential to maintain whatever treatment plan your doctor recommends so that you can keep trying until something works for you.
My MDD experience hasn’t been easy by any means but there definitely has been some sort of growth and maturity because of all the hard work that I have done on myself. I recognize that this is an ongoing journey for me but ultimately it is one worth taking as life can be meaningful even when living with challenges.