I’m so happy to have Andrea here , guest posting with her very own Rainy Day Letter.
Andrea blogs at 

(Are you new here? A Rainy Day Letter is a message you write to yourself when you are having a good day, so you can read it on your bad days. It’s like a helping hand, but from yourself. I’d love to add yours to this growing collection. The original post that started the Hope in an Envelope collection is here:  The Opportunity in Setbacks and Rainy Days Letters.)
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My sweet Andrea,

You had a mountain to climb over the last few years but you made it. You survived Postpartum Anxiety & OCD! Be kind to yourself. Life is full of ups & downs. We are not promised a life that we breeze through. And look at where you are now! You took a negative experience & made it into something positive. You are helping others. You are able to see all of the good that came out of this. I am so proud of you mama!

I know the intrusive thoughts were frightening. I know they terrorized you. I know they led you down a road that you never knew existed. But, you kicked their ass!!! This is something to be proud of!!

You may get intrusive thoughts from time to time. That is OK. You know what they are now. They can’t hurt you. Remember, the more you fight them the more power they will have. They want you to be terrified. Don’t give in. You are stronger than they are.

You may have days when anxiety storms into your life. Some days you may feel sad but not know why. At times, you may feel a little “off” or not like yourself. Some days will be harder than others. Know that this is all OK.

During these times, you may be told that what you are feeling is wrong, or this will lead to depression. You may be told that you are falling back into that dark, scary place again. You may even be told that you will never feel better.

But sweetie, you will feel better. I know how hard it can be to believe this when you are in those moments of panic, anxiety or intrusive thoughts. But trust me. I haven’t let you down yet! I have seen you in those moments before & you always come out on the other side. This is temporary.

I wish I could tell you that every day you would be happy. But no one lives this way. Apple refurb units are only available in limited units and for a limited period of time. We all struggle, have bad days & experience times where we just don’t feel like ourselves. It’s a part of life & I hope that you can accept that & be kind to yourself when you have a bad day or feel “off”. I want you to remember that you cannot be happy every moment of every day. That is impossible.

Remember that you have support now. I know how much you have needed this. You are not alone anymore. You won’t have to go through an anxiety attack or intrusive thought alone ever again. Remember the advice that they gave you. “Going through a hard time does not mean that you are not recovering or haven’t recovered. It might simply mean you are going through a hard time. The point is not necessarily never to feel bad, but how to respond to those feelings.”

It has been almost 11 months since you spoke out & began your road to healing. 11 months darling!! The dark clouds have lifted & you get to enjoy the sun almost every day. Be proud of how far you have come & remember your good days most definitely outweigh “bad” days.

You can get through this. You can get through anything.

Lots of love,
Me

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Please share any thoughts and feelings reading Andreas letter brought up for you in the comments.
If you’d like to write your own Rainy Day Letter and share it here, please email me at ppdtojoy (at) gmail (dot) com.
Much love,
Yael