Depression doesn’t mean a person wants to stop living. Often, it’s that there are so many open, unhealed wounds that the pain becomes nearly unbearable. Any external stimulus can feel like a needle piercing an open wound. To protect themselves from this intense pain, a person may end up avoiding all stimuli, even the positive ones.
Living with this feeling is like being trapped in a dark place with no way out. And to find the way out, it takes patience and courage to heal the wounds and reignite that divine spark we all carry within us. This requires learning to be at peace with oneself, a process that can take years.
On this path, the support of people who embrace us without judgment or pressure, yet who also find ways to motivate us to take small daily actions of self-care, can make all the difference. Even actions that seem simple, like taking a shower or going to the grocery store, are victories. And over time, by continuing these small acts, a moment arrives when the soul begins to shine once more.
This is the process of reconciling with oneself: reaching peace by accepting who you are, with all your facets. It means embracing your beautiful side and also acknowledging that we all have darker parts. What’s important is to make decisions and act from our place of light. In doing so, we avoid hurting others and ourselves and begin to close our own wounds.
This is a path of healing, where kindness, patience, and self-care are the primary allies, guiding us toward a day when we can once again feel the peace of simply being alive.
A Silent Flame
There are pains the body cannot hold,
wounds open, raw, exposed,
that burn at the world’s slightest touch,
like needles piercing the soul.
In a dark corner, I hide away,
where silence becomes both shelter and prison.
I shut down my senses, quiet my heart,
and wait in vain for the pain to end.
But there’s a flame that doesn’t go out,
however faint it may seem,
a fire that whispers softly,
waiting for the courage to be reborn.
Each step, however small,
is a grain of light in the darkness.
To rise, to go out, to breathe the world,
teaches me the power of a tiny future.
And there are those who welcome without haste,
who embrace without judging.
These are hands that touch gently,
allowing time to heal.
And one day, when my soul shines bright,
the shadows, accepted, will find rest.
I’ll find peace within myself at last,
walking guided by my own light.
Márcia do Vales
