By Nancy Virden (c)2026 AlwaysTheFight.com

Imagine you are staring into a void. It is dark; you see nothing. However, it is worse than that because you know there is nothing to see but empty pitch-blackness.

People around you expect you to step forward into that void. They say it is full of hope with sturdy promises to cling to, even light. You know better. Nothing awaits you there except a giant leap into a vacuum of more loss and despair.

It is hopeless and physically painful to imagine a different scenario. People are lying, tugging at your shirt sleeve to push you into the abyss. “It is worth the work,” they say. “You deserve it,” they cajole.

Someone places you in a hospital where more voices get lost in the whirlwind of your thoughts. “What can you do to help yourself?” “What about your children?”

You want to stop. Stop thinking. Stop hurting. Stop breathing. How dare these doctors and nurses claim to know what is best for you? Don’t they understand there is nothing out there? Your path has come to an end, and the sooner life is over… the better.

Efforts to force the end have had disappointing results. You are still here; the void is before you, life behind you, and you stand frozen in an ice bath of pain.

Here’s the rub: people are not lying. What you cannot see yet are the tiny sprouts of change that are slowly working their way through your brain. Sometimes due to medication; sometimes because of other people’s prayers (or both), something in the void begins to take shape. It is shadowy and vague. Your emotions scream, “That’s not real!” while it becomes harder to deny.

It takes time, but there is nothing else to do locked up in the hospital but to sit and wait. You go to groups, chat a little, and go for walks. The doctor visits each day and seems to care. The shadows begin to mold into an idea. Maybe you can do something you enjoy doing. Maybe you can change your circumstances. As the pain eases a little, you realize that it is not all there is anymore.

Weeks later, the doctor decides it is time for you to go home. You might not want to return to the source of pain, trauma, or memories. Nonetheless, something has been born in you that makes it okay for the time being. A speck of hope, not on fire yet, is enough to propel you into aftercare, where, for as long as it takes, you learn to choose to walk forward. This time, what is ahead is not completely void, but rather unknown.

The future is becoming something to discover.

-COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

Psalm 30:2-4

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you restored my health.
You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
    You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
    Praise his holy name.

If you are feeling suicidal or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S., call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.

If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room; in the EU, call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here.) Hope and help are yours!

Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair. 

NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional and speaks only from personal experience and observations. This website is not intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.

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