When you are feeling like the world is ending, that you are in the blackest and deepest of holes, that you are so uncomfortable in your own skin that you just want to climb out, it’s the most natural thing in the world to just want to feel better.
You want someone to tell you how you are going to get better, what you have to do and when it will finally happen. You want to know if it will be soon, or if not, how you can make it sooner. You want reassurance that this isn’t going to last forever. Of course you do, who wouldn’t want to know this terrible thing will end.
I wish I could give you the answers you want. I wish I could promise you this will be over soon and a mere memory before you know it.
But no one can tell you when you will get better. No one’s reassurance will be enough for you because deep down you know it’s not possible for anyone to promise you something they can’t possibly know.
Sometimes if you are going through a difficult situation, it can be resolved in a relatively short amount of time. Sometimes life does work out like that and you grow stronger from what happened and move on.
However, things such as depression and anxiety are terrible, painful illnesses that can take a long time to truly recover from. It takes patience, commitment and support to heal. They can come in waves, they can take over your life completely, or they can keep coming back over and over, even when you think you are finally rid of them.
Whatever brings you to counselling, whether it be a stressful situation in your life or a debilitating mental illness, no one can tell you when you will be better, but you will have taken a huge, positive step towards it happening. It may take weeks, it may take months, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t trying or that you are doing something wrong.
You will get there, I just can’t say when.
Lauren x