Dear messed up, wonderful, terribly sad, brilliant, strong you.

As 2015 draws to a close everyone seems to reflect on what a year it has been. Everyone judges how “great” a year they have had. Everyone makes resolutions to change and be “better”. For you, lots of last year kinda sucked.

Your mental health hasn’t been great, you’ve felt down a lot of the time and you’ve mostly been snappy to loved ones and stressed ALL OF THE TIME. There’s been problems with your family and friends, you’ve left relationships that caused you pain and you’ve eaten way more comfort pizza than you should have. You’ve felt pressure to succeed and do really well and you just don’t feel like you’ve achieved anything. You didn’t manage to kick your bad habits, and occasionally things got really serious and you didn’t want to be here anymore.

*sigh*

But wait..Take a breath. Don’t be so hard on yourself! That’s a heck of a lot to deal with when you put it like that in a massive scary list. There is definitely one thing you know you DID do this year.

You survived.

Right on, you excellent legend, you!

Because really, surviving is a huge deal. And even if this year you face the same problems and the same pain, you’re gonna put things in place and learn different techniques for coping. You’re gonna take pleasure every day in something, anything, even a very, very little thing! Even if it’s hearing a new, rad song or making a friend laugh with your terrible jokes! You’re gonna at the very least try and be a more positive person, you’re gonna try and keep your head up and your heart open. You’re gonna try not to let things get to you and you’re gonna try be more easy going on yourself.

You’re gonna tackle things one step at a time, you’re gonna go slowly and not put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect all of the time. You know your limits and your capabilities, and you take as much time as you need.

Most importantly you’re just gonna let you be you. Whatever that means to you. Be true to yourself and accept yourself, flaws and all. You’re awesome, look at what you lived through this last year, and cement yourself in your resolution to make this year more positive and happy.  

So go ahead and make those resolutions if you want because sometimes its good to have a goal to work towards. But set yourself mile stones that are achievable. Don’t expect miracles because recovery takes a lot of work. Review your progress every few weeks and change or adapt your targets if your need to. Don’t hate yourself if you slip and take a step backwards. It’s not the fall, it’s how you pick yourself back up and carry on that shows your strength.

Remember to stay inspired. You can do this by adding to that collage on your bedroom wall with quotes, lines from your favorite songs/films or pictures of happy memories, friends and people who inspire you!

Talk to others who have been through similar tough times and ask them how they got through it. Ring a helpline and speak to a trained professional who can put you back on track. See your GP and let them know if you’re struggling, or book an appointment to see a counselor and actually go.

Talk to friends and family and let them know about your set backs and your progress. Explain to them how you feel, maybe even right it down if you can’t face telling them, and ask them to be understanding and help you when you need it.

Keep people in the loop with how you’re feeling. They may be able to support you in ways you can’t see when you’re feeling really low.

Look after yourself and treat yourself when you achieve your goals. Be nice to yourself. Remind yourself what you like about being you, or get your friends to write down things they like about you. Look at these things and use them to help you stay positive.

Mostly, just keep surviving. You’ve got this. And the World will be a less awesome place without you in it.  

Yours Sincerely, in awesomeness,

You.