It's okay to feel what you're feeling

I needed more "me" time.

One of the things that I learned to appreciate when I was battling depression was time to myself. Since moving to the Midwest, people would tell me that my past is nothing in comparison to the experiences that they had. The problem with that statement is... everyone is fighting a battle of some sort and to compare them is completely uncalled for and ultimately irrelevant. A battle is a battle and there will always be some sort of sacrifice that has to be made. No battle is more difficult than another. Everyone deals with theirs in different ways, in different circumstances.

I learned what worked and what didn't.

When I was going through a rough patch in my life dealing with a heartache and never ending family matters, I would go to parks or beaches and just let the wind carry my thoughts away. I spent more time organizing my thoughts, evaluating my happiness, and eliminated things or people in my life that did not contribute to my life in a positive way. Was it easy to do this? Absolutely not. It took years to let go of friendships that happened to be around for so long. It took me 20+ years to realize the toxicity of the environment I grew up in and how much it held me back from finding success and inner peace.

More self care, more self love.

It is okay to feel however it is that you feel. Do not let people tell you what is okay and what is not okay to feel. There is such a negative stigma behind depression and how people should deal with it. Some are more vocal about it than others. Some find that venting on their social media account will help them. Some find that dealing it on their own will get better results. Do the things you want to do that you know will make you happy. Try new things if you do not know what makes you happy. At the end of the day, your happiness comes first. Do you because that is all you have - yourself.