I hear it all the time. That you need the hard times to appreciate the good. You need negative emotion to get you through life. As someone with severe depression , and who has experienced enough negative emotion for many lifetimes, I know this isn’t true. Depression and negative emotion doesn’t do anything other than create distance and separation from the people around you should love and care for. Depression, and negativity does nothing more than that. It may help you understand and sympathize with people who are experiencing that same negativity. But you can’t truly be there for anyone when your to busy struggling to break out of your own darkness and depression. The times Im best able to help those around me, depression and negativity are never involved. That’s what we all want. We want to be happy, but just as importantly we want others to be happy as well. How horrible must we feel about ourselves to help others. I don’t think we need to feel horrible at all. I don’t think it’s necessary. And I absolutely don’t think you need it. 

I think people who have truly battled with depression understand this the most. I guarantee no one is who they “want” to be when they’re depressed. It only serves as an almost impossible obstacle for the things you know you should do. 

Why do I see this argument so often given to people dealing with depression. To me it just seems like a way to justify it. Like maybe what they’re feeling is “necessary”. Well the fact is there is no justification. Depression can be as unfair and horrible as it sounds and nothing  about is fair or a necessary part of life. Trying to make it make sense to you only serves to separate yourself from the people actually going through it.