I had a really great experience with therapy. It took a long time, but I am so thankful to have the tools I need to deal with truly debilitating depression.
When I started therapy, I could barely manage my life. Living in filthy conditions, rotting food in the fridge, felt I was damaged and broken. Couldn’t wait for life to be over. I believed that I was a fraud and if anyone ever knew the real me, they would hate me. Spent my free time smoking, watching bad tv and playing mind numbing solitaire. And hating myself for it.
Therapy gave me my life back. I am now content and productive most of the time, grateful and willing to share my imperfections with a social support group of friends. I enjoy art, hiking, cooking, having friends over, I feel competent at work… I have an authentic life that isn’t perfect, but I’m not just waiting to die.
It took a long time and it was a lot of work. I was lucky to find a very good therapist. (After wasting a year with someone who wasn’t good)
I’m still occasionally awAre of depression… I recognize it.. covid isolation has been hard of course, but now I know what it is. I know it’s not something to feel ashamed of and I have the tools I need to deal with it and friends that I’m happy to lean on if needed.