Adults of reddit who were depressed kids or teens, what is it like to be here when you didn't expect to make it this far? What would you tell your younger self if you could?

A few years back a friend of mine who is a clinical hypnotherapist asked if I wanted to try a past life regression. I thought it it was total BS but I decided to try it.

Before we even got to the past life stuff, he asked me to go back to my 14 year old self and talk to myself. I was such a depressed anxious kid. I was able to hide it for the most part until people got too close to me. But talking to myself was incredible

I've worked my ass off being a musician, I've travelled the world, played huge festivals, created great moments, met my wife and basically lived beyond my dreams. So I told myself it's all going to be ok. Your going to do things you never thought possible, your going to live exactly how you wanted to. And that really helped me, I felt a huge amount of emotional baggage drop. But the depression and the anxiety are always going to be there.

Some days you will lose the battle, some days you will hide from the world and let down your friends, family and wife. Some days you will be incapable of doing even the smallest task. Some days, no matter how much you accomplish you will feel like nothing and a total failure. It's rough out there it really is.

But these dark days and these low periods will give you moments that are so bright and so beautiful you will never forget them. These moments will let you recognize, empathize and sympathize with others in ways you can't explain. The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow, but you always have to start with the light.

Every day, every week, every month is a struggle to be honest. That pure innocent joy has never really returned. It's always tainted with some malicious thoughts. But it does make you stronger, and you learn to deal with it more. Exercise is always great, psychedelics in a safe and controlled manner can help and love / friendship are paramount. My heart goes out to all of you guys suffering and dealing with this shit on a day to day basis.

/r/AskReddit Thread