I'm still trying to feel "normal". I thought that felt normal when I was a nurse at a detox center before I retired due to my mental health. Shock treatments were effective for a minute. That was 2016. My partner of 22 yrs died in 2022. That relationship was so fantastic! I absolutely ADORED her!!!! She was my heart. But when I went to a coda meeting, learned that I was as codependent as she was! I've been in recovery from alcohol and other drugs for 30 yrs. I'm much more normal due to my sobriety. I've been in therapy and under psychiatric care for over 30 yrs. I got sober when I had committed myself to a yr in an incest survivors group 31 yrs ago. I took back my power. So much childhood trauma. But now I'm so depressed that I can barely put one ft in front of the other. My shrink had weaned me off one drug and soon the 2d and last drug will b d/c bc it no longer works either. I don't want to die...I just don't want to live like this anymore. I grieve 4 my partner every day!!!!

Normal I believe is not what society families churches etc dictate. Normal is a lifestyle that is healthy fun relaxing for you. In my case I needed to do what my healthcare providers said.There is a saying you are CEO and architect of your life. You create your future. We all have agency- the power to decide. Knowledge is power.

"Normal" is 'common' and does not necessarily imply "Healthy" - Performing Emotional Curve work plotting within a graph positive and negative experiences related to the vertical scale [+10 & -10] along a horizontal line of time that can be over days, weeks, months, or years - the line of emotional experience will tell if your experience is trending positive or negative. Typically there is a balance with manic/depressive values occurring above +5 and below -5 and a healthy range between +5 and -5.