This man wrote a beautiful list of all the reasons he loves his wife who is struggling with depression and anxiety
Anyone struggling with anxiety and depression knows there are good days and bad days. When those bad days hit, it can feel like the world is colliding inside your head, and it’s hard to see that there’s any reason to keep fighting. Molly Murphy of California, however, is lucky to have what those battling mental health issues need most of all- a good ally.
Murphy, newly married to her long-time love Tim Murphy, has been having a lot of bad days lately. “Couldn’t afford a wedding. Family is sparse. Falling out with friends, yaddadyadda,” she admits in an Imgur post that would soon go viral, racking up over a million views in less than a week. Even more difficult, her husband had to take a job in LA while she remained in San Francisco, limiting their in-person time to weekends.
On Monday, Molly flew out to visit her husband, telling ABC news she felt “overwhelmed by depression and anxiety…So just like a movie, I showed up at the airport, asked for a seat on the next flight, got home and ran into my apartment and laid down in my bed.”
What she was surprised to see was the list above, written on the mirror by her husband to remind her of all the things he loves about her. In her original post, Molly wrote: “I think he wanted me to remember how much he loves me. Because he knows how quickly I forget. He knows I struggle to see good in the world, and especially the good in myself. But here it is. A testament and gesture of his love. Damn, I needed it today…”
There’s no cure-all in the fight against mental illness, especially when life throws additional challenges into the mix. People who love those with depression and anxiety can also struggle with feelings of frustration and helplessness, often wanting to fix everything for their loved one and hurt when they can’t make the problems shrink. However, simply reminding a person struggling that they are loved is a good way to bring a little light to those waging an internal war.
Molly said it best in her original post about Tim’s gesture, “I’m not saying mental illness is cured by nice words on a mirror. In fact, it takes professional care, love, empathy, sometimes even medication just to cope…Show them kindness and remind them things can and WILL get better. Everyone needs a little help sometimes.”
A great message and a heartwarming gesture from a concerned husband. We wish you the best, Molly and Tim!
(Image via Imgur.)