When I was going through a clinical depression in 2007-2008, one of the most prominent symptoms for me was a debilitating, overwhelming feeling of guilt – I felt unworthy, undeserving of joy, ashamed of my human foibles and flaws, afraid I might unintentionally say or do something that would hurt someone else. I contemplated ending my life because I thought – in my unhealthy mental state – that it would make life easier for others if I just wasn’t here.

So I speak from a place of personal experience when I say: Let’s STOP SHAMING EACH OTHER. Let’s stop throwing guilt on each other. We don’t know what anyone else is going through – but, trust me, EVERYone here is working their way through some challenge(s). What we see on each other’s FB walls is just a slice of a person’s life, and some people choose not to publish their struggles here – but that doesn’t mean they don’t have them.

Let’s assume that EVERYone could do with some kindness and tenderness and grace – even those people who seem to have “perfect” lives.