It's getting dark here very early. I'm noticing that it effects me. More than just the darkness, I'm feeling heaviness. If you've been here you know that I took time off that was unplanned. I'm struggling.

This is the unwelcome but unfamiliar experience: depression. Me and depression go way back. If I'm honest, I always hope I've seen the last of depression. Because of that, I feel a sense of failure. I can acknowledge that it isn't "failure." However, my mind still plays this trick on me.

Old habits of withdrawing rather than reaching out are here. I'm working t see where I'm numbing rather than attending. My therapist offered me the perspective that depression is the needing of attention to parts that are hurt.

I know that I'm not alone. I know that many of us have or are struggling with this monster. What about you? Do you live with depression? What helps/what doesn't?

I'm Annette Leonard, speaker, coach, and sick person who believes that my illnesses do not define me. If health is the absence of disease and wellness is the presence of wholeness, then no matter what your disease status, we can work toward your wellness, your wholeness.

Whether or not you are ever "healthy" on paper, you can be well. Join me and others on the path back to wholeness at AnnetteLeonard.com. Whether you are a person experiencing chronic illness or are someone who loves or serves people with chronic illness I have great resources here on this channel or on my website for you.