We see people linger in a depressive state for long periods of time, and we might think we're doing well by telling them the first step is to accept that they are not okay so they can finally get help. We tell them that they have to make the first move in order to move forward, but perhaps we need to change our thinking here. Have you ever stopped to wonder if the accepting of that fact that we are not well is perhaps the very reason for the depression? We know we're not well, we know what we need , yet, we also know we cannot fulfill that need on our own, and again, that is perfectly okay. We cannot be all things to all people, and that includes ourselves. If we all spent time serving our own needs because we had the ability, there'd be no need for building connections with others, and a life kept to oneself is perhaps the most damaging thing we can do to our souls. So, moving forward, I think the best way to address depression is to be the unwavering support we have the ability to be with one another, to carry those to what they need if we cannot fulfill their needs ourselves. This is perhaps the very fabric of love, each new connection we make another thread that weaves itself into the tapestry that sums up our lives. I said lives, plural, meaning this isn't a completely solitary journey. We need each other to survive, and when the line goes slack, we don't feel the strong pull of love from genuinely caring souls, we drift off into the ether, losing our sense of direction and eventually, our sense of purpose. If we don't see the difference our life work makes, or feel the benefit others delighting in our presence, we start to question where we belong, or whether we should exist in the first place. So instead of expecting the depressed to get themselves up and dust themselves off, we can lift them up and kindly whisper in their ear, "I may not have all the answers and we'll find them together, but no matter what happens, I won't let you fall."