You see it all the time. A three word phrase that seems to work its way into your head as much as possible, whether it’s uttered by your parents or flashed on your Tumblr dash.

“It gets better.”

For the longest time, I didn’t think this was true. In fact, I was absolutely positive things would only get worse as time progressed. I was being put on heavier anti-depressants, I refused to do homework, and I lacked any motivation whatsoever to do anything other than sleep. And, for a while, it did get worse.

I was dwelling in my own unhappiness. Looking back, I can honestly say that a good portion of my distress was my own fault.

Finally, I decided I was sick of being miserable.

To anyone that has ever suffered from depression, a person saying they just “decided” to stop being depressed probably sounds ridiculous. I thought so, too. But it is completely possible to help yourself once you honestly want to help yourself.

Happiness is a choice. It may not be an immediate choice, but eventually it is your decision (and your decision alone) to change your outlook and attitude towards life. Nothing you do will make you happy until you choose to be happy. Medication can only help you if you want to be helped. However, YOU decide how you feel. No one else can control your emotions.

Changing how you view your life isn’t something that can realistically be done overnight. It happened for me little by little. As I noticed my motivation rising once again, I saw my unhappiness towards life declining. I realized that once you are able to distract yourself with positivity, it eventually becomes muscle memory to do so.

I still have my bad days. But now they are few and far between.  I am able to stay motivated enough to do homework, I want to get up and do things, and I actually want to enjoy my life while I can. I don’t know for sure if I’ll ever be “cured” of my depression, but I can honestly say it has gotten better and hopefully will continue to get better.

So yes, happiness is a choice. It’s your choice, and no one can take that away from you.

17aweber@usd489.com