JawJaw, thank you for sharing such wonderful words with me. Bringing light into people's lives is what I live for. Finding out that some of my feeble ripples are actually making a difference "out there" gives me the hope and courage to keep going and not give up.

Of the things you mentioned that have helped you get thru it all, do you think one is more important than the other? For instance, is having a support group in place the most important?

It's hard to separate the Truth and Self-Knowledge/Compassion. Both have become vital for me, not only when I'm depressed, but in my day to day life. I have to continually steep myself in the knowledge that I am loved, worthwhile and have a rightful niche in the world. And I have to continually self-talk myself out of despair with my own compassion, stop beating myself up for not being "better" or especially for not being able to beat other people's expectations of me...in short, for not being perfect.

I didn't have a support group during my last breakdown. Being here in this community of sisters has reminded me again of the tremendous healing power within a network of people who care. So now it's really hard to separate "support" from the other two, because the support group affirms the Truth and the Compassion, making it easier to believe when it's harder to believe.

Still, if I had to choose one, I'd have to choose Truth (that I am loved and loveable), because that is ultimately what will give me the courage to talk myself (I like to call it "mapping myself") out of any darkness.