An Inspiring letter from Stephen Fry about finding yourself

Stephen Fry, the extremely talented actor and writer, knows depression first-hand. He received a letter from a fan — a teenage girl who asked him how he got over his troubles and managed to find peace in his soul. He answered this letter, telling the girl how to find her inner light when it seems that the dark times will never end.

Dear Crystal,

I’m so sorry to hear that life is getting you down at the moment. Goodness knows, it can be so tough when nothing seems to fit and little seems to be fulfilling. I’m not sure there’s any specific advice that I can give to you that will help all too much. Although they mean well, it’s sometimes quite annoying to be reminded how much people love you when you don’t love yourself that much.

I’ve found that it’s of some help to think of one’s moods and feelings about the world as being similar to weather.

Here are some obvious things about the weather:

• It’s real.

• You can’t change it by wishing it away.

• If it’s dark and rainy it really is dark and rainy and you can’t alter it.

• It might be dark and rainy for two weeks in a row.

• It will be sunny one day.

• It isn’t under one’s control as to when the sun comes out, but come out it will.

• One day.

BUT

It really is the same with one’s moods, I think. The wrong approach is to believe that they are illusions. They are real. Depression, anxiety, listlessness — these are as real as the weather — AND EQUALLY NOT UNDER ONE’S CONTROL. Not one’s fault.

BUT

They will pass: they really will.

In the same way that one has to accept the weather, one has to accept how they feel about life sometimes. ’’Today’s a crap day,’’ is a perfectly realistic approach. It’s all about finding a kind of mental umbrella. ’’Hey-ho, it’s raining inside: it isn’t my fault and there’s nothing I can do about it but sit it out. But the sun may well come out tomorrow and when it does, I shall take full advantage.’’

I don’t know if any of that is of any use: it may not seem like it, and if so, I’m sorry. I just thought I’d drop you a line to wish you well in your search to find a little more pleasure and purpose in life.

Very best wishes,

Stephen Fry