If my mental health is described metaphorically it is an endless landscape of shadows and then a beautiful night sky above it. It's all darkness but there is still some beauty there and then there is a chain around my leg that ties back to the worst of the worst of the darkness, sometimes that chain is really long and sometimes that chain is really short but it's always there and I'm always aware of it. I've learned how to navigate the shadows, and walk with the beast while also getting to enjoy the beautiful sky with its millions of stars even when they seem far away.

Sometimes the beast gets close though, close enough to bite me and make me bleed and scream but other times its resistance to me moving forward, no matter how far away it is, just pulls me to the ground. Sometimes I'm strong enough to drag it, outrun it, and fight it and other times I just need to lie down and rest even if it catches up with me. There are times though, where it's asleep and even though the chain's still there I can just look up and enjoy the night sky.