For years, before I met my husband, I struggled off and on with depression. I think a chemical imbalance was partly to blame and life’s circumstances were other contributing factors. When I became pregnant with Nathan, I went into panic mode. I would have to stop taking my anti-depressant, which I had been on for quite a while. I was scared depression would rear its ugly head while I was vulnerable and unmedicated, sending me into a tailspin. Then my husband said something that has helped me tremendously.
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with it.
That’s when I realized that a lot of my depression was brought about by how I dealt with the cards life handed me. You can’t change what has already happened in the past… you can only pick up the pieces and move forward. Your life is what you make of it.
I thought as soon as I had Nathan that I would have to start taking my medication again. I’ve come very close. I’m quite sure I had an uncomfortably close brush with Postpartum Depression (PPD) that lasted a dark and anxiety-filled thirteen days after his birth. After that, feelings of sadness, anxiety, and irritability lingered for months… but each day was better than the day before. I took life one day at a time, and now Nathan is seven months old and I am feeling better, little by little. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with it. I keep repeating that to myself whenever I start to feel like I’m sinking. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying depression can be staved off by sheer willpower alone, but forcing myself to keep on going despite the urge to give up is what helps me prevent the illness from taking over.
