Set up by Sophie over at One Unique, Huddle and Cuddle is a campaign to help raise awareness of mental health issues buy using the means of social media. Influencers have teamed up to help this campaign and to spread the word, allowing people to never feel alone by sharing their experiences with you. Huddle and Cuddle wants people to get involved by talking to people, whether it be an influencer, family member or a helpline about their thoughts and challenges they may come across. This is my contribution to raising awareness. Follow Sophie on @huddleandcuddle – the main website for Huddle and Cuddle is here. Use the hashtag #huddleandcuddle 

As we go through changes, as we recover from mental illness, as we grow into ourselves one worry can be “Who will I become?”

Will I still be me?

As depression fades into a bad memory I often wonder what the person I am becoming will be like. Because try as I might I could never quite stop defining myself at least partly by the depression. It can be scary to be cured (or approaching cured) because all these thoughts surface …

“was I using depression as a crutch, as an excuse?”

“if I lose depression will I lose the me I was and have grown to accept?”

“are my bad habits simply bad habits and not depression?”

“what if I was never depressed but only a bad, lazy person?”

Yes, all these terrible thoughts go through our head and more often than not are simply untrue, yet another way depression tries to insinuate itself into our lives, sinks its claws into us in desperation to stay.

Whether you were or weren’t, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you love and accept who you were and then welcome with joy the *you* you are becoming. Everything is a journey, an adventure of learning and growth. The worst thing to do is to give up. To stand still.

[bctt tweet=”Your identity is not defined by your illness.” username=”takepath42″]

It is OK to feel a little fear, to wonder at what the future holds as we change. Yet don’t let it overcome your growth, don’t allow it to hold you back. Take the next step knowing the person you are becoming will be even more awesome than the person you are right now.