Nobody stays stuck in the same emotion forever

Even in deep depression, there are moments when lights slip through.

In front of me sits a 17-year-old girl.  Deeply depressed.

Every line sounds heavy.

“I don’t feel like doing anything.”
Long sigh.
“I feel empty.”
Another sigh.
“Everyone else is happy.  I should be happy.  But I’m not.”

She clutches her cloth bag like it’s a life jacket, bites her lip, and stares away from me.
I do what a caring therapist should do: Listen, reflect her feelings, and acknowledge her pain.

Then…something changes.

Her eyes light up.
Her posture straightens.
A smile appears.

“One thing that lifts my mood…” she says.

She pulls out a school newsletter from her bag and hands it to me.
One article is hers.

It’s beautifully written.  A passionate call for students to protect the environment.

This is her thing.
Writing.
Sharing her opinions.
Making a difference.

The girl who, moments ago, looked crushed becomes animated, bright, and bubbly.
Different voice.  Different energy.  

Depression is still there.
But so is passion.

I’ve seen this before.
I’ve lived it.

In my junior year of college, my mood, appetite, and motivation all crashed.  Sleep became difficult.  Getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain.

Morning classes…forget it.
So, I quietly sneaked into Dr. Ara’s afternoon class.

And…that class woke me up.

Dr. Ara taught with unusual passion, filling lectures with personal stories, humor, and emotions.  His every word pulled me in.

Picture this.  A young Hindi speaking scholar traveled from Japan to India.  His luggage didn’t land in New Delhi but flew to Stockholm.  So, he bought cotton clothes from the shops on the first day, blended right into the neighborhood.  

I took copious notes.  I even studied for the exams…that’s a sign there’s still hope.

Dr. Ara eventually inspired me to travel to India, searching for inner peace.

I found it.

That teenager and 20-year-old me reminded me of something important:

Nobody is depressed every second of every day.
Nobody stays trapped in one emotional state forever.

Even deep depression cannot take away what you love and how it makes you feel.

You may lose interest in what you used to do.

But the sparkle is still there.  

That’s you.  It doesn’t come and go.  It’s always there.

When something touches it – writing, drawing, cuddling your cat, it lights up again.  

Joy does not erase pain.
But it makes painful moments more bearable.

Even in the darkest time, your sparkle shows up.

Trust that moment.