I ask our granddaughter's permission to use the post from her Facebook page and she gladly gave it.
You see our family is no different than millions of other families. We have our ups and downs; our good times and times of discouragement. But, because we love each other and try to lift each other up, we have been blessed and we have become overcomers.
There is a lot to be said and lot to be learned about depression and mental health problems. Our churches and schools need to be more involved in encouraging and helping those who have difficulties. Families need to gather around those within their homes; stand by and encourage them.
We are so proud of the path Christen has chosen. We are proud of her ability to overcome a lot of obstacles and develop into a woman with a lot of drive and a lot of desire to help others in similar situations. She is on the Deans List and half way through her masters degree in Developmental Therapy. She received her undergraduate degree in Human Development & Family at the U of A. She is a Family Advocate for the Head Start program in Washington county, helping families learn about programs that will assist them in raising their little ones. We are thankful Christen has a very supportive husband, who encourages her to be the best she can be. And, we are thankful that the home they have established is a Christian home.
Christen and I hope by sharing her words, it will be an encouragement to those who read it who might have difficulties like she has had or know someone who is experiencing this sort of problem.
Here's her posting:
"Three years ago today was my first day without antidepressants in my system (successfully and on purpose) after being on them for 7 years.
My struggle with depression and anxiety is not something I talk about all the time, but it's something I'm very open about . My battle to recovery has been a hard battle that I've had to fight daily. I cannot adequately put into words how I felt at my lowest and it's not a feeling that I like to revisit with my thoughts often.
I've learned that I'm going to struggle with depression and anxiety off and on for the rest of my life. Sometimes they will be quietly hidden under my need to control everything, excessive plan making or my introverted nature, and sometimes they're banging loudly at my door 24/7. But in the 10 years since I've been diagnosed, I've learned how to recognize it and deal with it in much better and healthier ways than I did 10 years ago. I have a wonderful, supportive husband. I have a job and career that I love. I'm half way through a Master's degree. I have a great family and I have great friends. If someone told me 10 years ago that this is where I would be now and how great my life would be, I wouldn't believe them.
It gets better. It hasn't been easy. Countless hours of therapy, countless hours of praying, countless milligrams of chemicals to help rebalance my brain. They were all worth it. Even though I know the battle isn't over, I'm hopeful. And I'm happy.
In the words of The Avett Brothers song: "Just know the kingdom of God is within you, even though the battle is bound to continue."
Christen has a FB page: Christen Million, if you have questions. Or you can contact me via inbox message and I'll pass it on to her.
"Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word of encouragement does wonders!" Proverbs 12:25 (TLB)
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