8 Quotes by Anne T. Donahue

Not every story has to make everybody laugh. Not every story has to make everybody feel fine. That's what real life looks like: full of nuances and nonsense. At one point, we've all been in a metaphorical park, crying about not getting a text back. At others, we've invested in what we assumed would be a life-changing candle. We've all needed help.We've also always been interesting, with or without a diagnosis or a tragedy. I wish I'd known I was always enough.

You and your anger are needed. You and your anger are valuable. You and your anger will be the fire that burns it all down.

You favor the part of yourself you need to be at any one time, and you let the others hang back while you figure our shit out. None of us have just one facet. Sometimes I still struggle to reconcile who I am now with the persons I was. But I also know not to worry, since whoever I am right now is exactly who I need to be.

So a guy who actively took pride in treating me terribly? I was up for the challenge. I could be a good enough woman to change for. I could prove I was worthy of someone realizing I deserved respect and kindness and, one day, if I worked hard enough, love.

I don't know a single person who loves everything about their career all the time because no aspect of life is perfect all the time. No friendship, no relationship, no family dynamic, no outfit, no movie ending. No job.

Maybe my addictive tendencies weren't limited to my zest for things I could drink. Like maybe (I learned while working with my therapist) I had broader issues with control and addiction and using substances to dial down my anxiety. And maybe self-medication is a real dangerous way of trying to quiet the noise of a mental health disorder. And maybe alcoholism also runs in the family.

Lessons are learned by acknowledging the grossest and cruelest parts of ourselves.

So just tell your friends the truth. Tell them you're angry, sad, annoyed, hurt, tired, anxious; that you'd rather eat poison than go to a birthday party at a fucking nightclub again, and that you'll just take them out for dinner instead.