How the Magic of Writing Helped Me Overcome Depression

---

This is a story about how writing saved my life.

Learning how to overcome depression is no simple task. Like many of you, I have struggled with anxiety and depression my entire life. But for the longest time, I was completely oblivious to how serious my condition was. This, despite the fact that I was prescribed anti-depressants at the age of 13, began therapy when I was only five, and often used sleep to avoid daily life for weeks, sometimes months on end.

I’m more aware of my condition now, but it hasn’t yet loosened its grip for good. I have, however, developed much better coping mechanisms since I realized how severe and crippling this disease can be.

Throughout high school, I struggled a lot with depression. I have what’s known as “diurnal variation depression” – essentially that means my depression is at its worst in the mornings. That might not sound like such a tragedy, but it can be devastating. Imagine your worst depressed state. Now imagine waking up like that, every single day… It’s torture.

I’ve missed out on a good portion of my life because of it.

When I was in college my depression was at an all-time high. I often skipped entire weeks of classes. I still managed a 3.8 GPA. So I learned that I’m capable of functioning normally even when my symptoms are unmanageable.

But that’s not the worst of it. After college, I had a cool job, a great boyfriend, and life was simple. Depression doesn’t care about any of that, though. I was struck hard a couple of years later. There were extenuating circumstances that had increased my depression. Basically, chaos was thriving in my life.

I ended up losing my job. Therefore losing my vehicle, going into debt, losing my boyfriend, getting kicked out of my house. Already devastated, my depression made things worse. It was a vicious cycle. I was depressed because of what had happened. Worse things kept happening because I was too depressed to deal with them. Repeat.

So there I was homeless and alone.

One particularly terrible night, I ended up meeting up with an old friend. We talked all night. He gave me a book to read, “Recovering the Soul,” by Larry Dossey (affiliate link). That was the first step on my road to recovery. A glimpse into how writing would save my life. I read that book in one night. It completely changed my outlook on life.

The Secret also had a major impact on my shift in worldview (affiliate link). I recommend this book with a grain of salt. It has some great points, but it cannot be taken as the be-all, get-all in changing your life. You can’t just wish for things to get better. You have to make them better. This book is better designed to open your eyes to the idea of self-discovery.

---

After that life-changing night, my friend and I had another conversation.

I don’t know the exact words I spoke. But essentially, I cried and said that my life was over. The six years I spent in school amounted to nothing. There wasn’t anything special about me. I wasn’t good at anything. I didn’t even know who I was. As I was saying this, my hand automatically scribbled down notes from our conversation. My thoughts flowed through the ink into the notebook I always carried.

My friend laughed out loud and said, “You’re a writer, Nicole! Why don’t you start doing that? And I don’t just mean scribbling in your notebooks for yourself. Share it with the world. See where that takes you.” I know that’s what he said, because, well, I wrote it down. I argued with him for a while. But the more I did, the more I realized he was right (pun intended, had to, sorry).

I had been carrying around a journal since I was seven years old.

The practice of freewriting was a history exercise we did in seventh grade and I continued doing it because I loved it. There is a notebook and pen on me at all times – pocket-sized stays in the butt pocket opposite my cell phone.

My notebooks have everything from inspirational quotes, the things people around me say, short stories, some really awful poetry, philosophical musings, ideas on the world, opinions about people’s shoes. You name it, I write about it.

But I had never imagined myself as a writer.

When we were done talking, I sobbed. I’m not ashamed. I cried like a baby for a good twenty minutes. It was at that point that I began to discover who I truly am. Before all of this, I lived to meet other people’s expectations. I did what I thought I should, based on what other people told me. Never once did it occur to me to do what I wanted for myself. This, I realized, was a major contributor to my depression.

After that night, I know it’s cliché and I apologize, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I literally stood up straighter. There was light in a world that had been so dark for so long. Slowly, very slowly, and with a lot of setbacks, I began piecing my life back together.

Today, I’m writing all the time.

I love it so much. It’s my medicine, and it works better than any actual medicine ever has.

• I write for this website.
• I’m taking courses on becoming a professional writer.
• I have two novels written, and the third in the works.

My friends, believe me when I tell you writing literally saved my life. It was the only way for me to overcome depression. If I hadn’t had that conversation with that beautiful person late one night, I never would have made it out alive. I am absolutely certain about that.

---

I’ve just discussed some of my struggles on my journey to overcome depression. I explained how writing saved my life. I mentioned that I had developed coping skills for dealing with my condition. Please read this post for some tips on dealing with the ugly monster that is depression.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, please reach out. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading about my struggle and how writing helped me overcome the greatest challenge of my life. Always know that you are loved. You are not alone. You matter.

---

Note: This page may contain affiliate links for which, if an item is purchased, I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you. I only ever post links for products that I have used, found helpful, and loved. Thank you for supporting my writing journey so I can continue to help you on yours!

---