Dear You,

First off, I love you. And no amount of anxiety or depression can make me love you any less.

People who aren't close to you may not know that you're struggling, and though I wish that it were different, I am proud of you for being strong on your own. I don't tell you enough how much I look up to you, and how much I admire your strength and independence.

The hardest part for me is the idea that you may not come to me when you need help because you don't want to be a bother, or because you feel like I am only here for you out of pity. That's hard for me to stomach because I know exactly how you're feeling, as I have felt it before. And I want you to know that I will never be here for you out of pity. I will never be here for you because there's nothing else for me to be doing at that moment. I will always be here for you out of love. I will always be here for you when you need me, and I hope you know that anything I am doing at any moment is far less important than you are to me.

I have never understood why people have to suffer through mental illnesses, but I do believe it makes you stronger. It creates a self-awareness and strength that rarely results from anything else. I want you to realize how strong it makes you to make the move to go talk to someone. Whether it was me, a therapist, or anyone else - you went out of your comfort zone to confide in someone else. To me, one of the hardest steps to take when you're struggling with a mental illness is to talk to someone, because you are finally admitting to yourself that you may not be able to do it on your own. And accepting the fact that that is 300% okay. The first step of fixing something is realizing there's something to fix, and a way to fix it.

I want you to understand how many people love you because the number is infinite. There are people all around you who care about every single thing that happens to you, and they care about how you're feeling at every moment of the day. One of the shittiest parts is that your anxiety and depression makes you shake your head at this statement. It tells you that this is untrue, that you really don't have that many people. And this is so unbelievably unfair because it is absolutely false. There are so many people out there who wouldn't know what they'd do without you. I know this because I am one of those people.

Anyone who makes you feel that you are less in any way because of your anxiety or depression is wrong because you are so much more. Every day you are strong, determined, creative, and constantly productive, despite your mind telling you to be otherwise.

I am so excited to see all that you accomplish in your life, as you have already achieved so much, and I know there is no stopping you. You have so much going for you, you are an incredible person, and you deserve the world; and I hope you never forget these things.

You are truly a blessing to me, and I appreciate and love you endlessly. Despite the distance between us, you are one of the people I am closest with, and I am eternally grateful that you are in my life. So, thank you. Thank you for making me a stronger person every day. Thank you for coming to me, when you do. Thank you for taking my advice, and thank you for trusting me.

Love you always,

Me