My mother always said that her favorite part about going on trips was coming home. As I grew up, I also adopted this sentiment, so when my time studying abroad last year was coming to a close, I was filled with the excitement of making the journey back home. When I returned home, however, I slipped into an unexpected depression.
Initially, I blamed the bite of the cold for making me feel isolated and depressed but quickly realized that it was more than just a change of environment. My problems had grown roots deep inside of me and the only way to combat them was to make changes in my mindset. Every night when I get in bed, I remind myself that today I did the damn thing and that tomorrow I’m going to do it again. Taking care of your own mental health is not a passive task, instead, it’s a battle that needs to be fought every single day. The good news is that even on your bad days, you still got through it and did the damn thing.
