Thanks, Mark. That spark IS out there for all of us, and I think it's very normal to go through periods of "what do I do in the meantime?"... Just gotta keep moving forward, learning coping skills, pushing personal boundaries, avoiding backslides any way possible.
When I checked in with my therapist prior to surgery, he did an evaluation and determined that I barely met criteria for depression. It took me aback a bit... Didn't like the label at all. However, another portion of the evaluation noted that I'm also a tad euphoric right now, indicating a breakthrough (He said it's most likely the relief that stems from letting go of the past behaviors and all the personal work and self-care I've done since October). My point? Depression can be beat. It won't happen overnight, obviously. But it will happen with time and a lot of hard work.
We're headed in the right direction, folks. Just keep going!
