Greetings, I am not new to the Mayo clinics site but I am new to this forum. I was dx with PTSD following a lifetime of abuse, naturally, depression comes with PTSD. I decided one day that I had had enough of feeling depressed and anxious, I went into my bedroom, shut the door, and I cried, I cursed, I prayed, I slept and when I woke up, it started all over again. In my case, my depression was caused by other people so in order to fully recover I needed to forgive those that hurt me.I finally forgave those people, but it wasn't easy, it took time to be able to forgive the monsters who had caused me so much grief and pain, but I am here to tell you there IS life after abuse.I still deal with depression and anxiety but it is very controlled. What helps me the most now is knowing my God the way I do. I know without a doubt that he will be there for me and every day, several times a day, I count my blessings and yes I have been truly blessed. I am 70 years old now. It took till I was in my late 40s and 50s to get a real grasp on life, but. I now own my own home, my car is paid for and I am a retired nurse. I've come along way from the scared, fragile, nervous woman I had become, to, the calm, self-caring, loving woman I am today. My life was in utter shambles for the first 40 years of my life, depression, and anxiety was all I knew. My hate and distrust ruled my life, but now I use that hate and distrust to my advantage by forgiving but not forgetting and using caution with people and places that just don't feel right. I have come to recognize my own strengths and weaknesses. I have stood up and challenged the world, I will never allow myself to be beaten down again, I will only invite loving, caring, people into my world, I surround myself with the beauty I love, things that make me feel good, things that give me the most pleasure and I remember, I am a strong woman but I could not have done it without my higher power. God by any other name is still God. I hope my story has helped at least one person. I have so much to share, so many ideas and strategies and so many experiences. I will be back. Thanks for reading this post..My name is Jeanie.