I don't understand why people always use a rollercoaster as a metaphor for depression. They're absolutely nothing alike. A rollercoaster is fun. Most people ride them for the quick rush of adrenaline and the feeling of flying. Depression does not feel like that.
Seriously, whoever came up with the metaphor didn't know what they were talking about. You want a real comparison? It's more like this:
When I was young, I used to hike along mountainsides. Do you know how utterly painful it is to reach the top of a mountain? You're dragging your feet against the mud. Mosquitos look at you like you're an all you can eat buffet. I got poison ivy once. It sucked.
The only thing that made up for it was when I saw the view. God, the top of the mountain is absolutely stunning. We'd camp there all night. Being close to the stars and away from civilization. Then in the morning, the sunrise would cause streams of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples to streak through the clouds. Everything felt at peace. But of course, you have to come down at some point.
The trip down is always easy. It's also scary. One wrong move and you'll roll down the mountain. Or if something overhead breaks, it can tumble towards you. The point is, getting down isn't a struggle at all. One wrong step and bam. You're at the bottom.
Depression is like that. Not a rollercoaster. When you're low you never feel like you're going to see the stars again. The trees are blocking your view of the sky. Everything feels dark and even though you're close to the ground it's hard to breathe.
Climbing out of the low is hard. It takes time, patience, and dedication. Every step you take feels like a hundred. Carrying a heavy backpack up the side of a mountain starts to weigh down on you quickly. But then you reach the high.
The high is that split moment you become invincible. It's the moment you see the treetops. The stars at night. The sunrise and sunset. Everything around you is clouded in such beauty that you never think you could reach a low again. But then you start heading down.
The problem with coming down the high is that you know it's happening. You know that you're going to reach you're low again and you're afraid. Just like climbing down a mountain you step carefully to avoid an avalanche. But when an avalanche does happen, you're suddenly thrusted back into the low.
Sometimes people forget about the view at the top. They become consumed by the low. It's easy to give up getting to the high. But it's also always worth seeing. You just have to push forward even when you don't think you have the energy to. That's the thing, you always have to find the beauty in everything. The beauty in the low. The beauty in the rise. The beauty in the high. And the beauty in the fall.
I wish depression was like a rollercoaster. It'd be much faster. Less painful. And a hell of a lot more fun.
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Welcome to my new story children. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Quick thing: This story will contain characters from my previous books. You do not need to know anything about my previous books to understand this plot line. I do however, recommend and ask that you read my other stories :) Other than that--Welcome to Low!
Hope you guys enjoy it and please, comment and vote frequently. I appreciate every bit of constructive criticism (constructive being the key word). If anything helps me be a better author, by all means lemme know. Other than that: Enjoy :)
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