Trusting in the Lord to Obtain True Happiness

I want to share something I have been thinking about his week.
      I have depression. It's something I've dealt with ever since I was 14. There have been times in my life where I was depressed to the point where I basically shut down and wasn't able to function normally or do the things I needed to. There were some times when I considered taking my life or giving up because I didn't feel good about myself. Happiness was something I didn't have in my life in my early and mid teenage years.
     Well, what I wanted to talk about was how I have been feeling recently, and how I have found hope and happiness regardless of my susceptibility to depression.
      The past few months of my life definitely haven't been easy, but they have been some of the happiest in my life. I have really learned these past few months that I wasn't putting my trust in the Lord. I was putting too much energy into trying to control every little bit of my life and was doing it all as independently as I could. I was so worried about making sure everything worked out that I wasn't treating my friends, family, or others in my life the way I should have. In short, I was so focused on trying to make everything perfect and being as independent as I could, that I didnt give myself the time or energy to work on what really matters in life.
     I think sometimes we believe that we need to do everything alone, and that asking for help shows weakness, frailty, or lack of knowledge. I won't lie, asking for help can definitely be challenging! In fact, at times it can seem impossible! But I know that there will always be someone there to help, no matter how big or small your struggle may be. Even if no one living on this earth is there when you need them, God and Christ will always be there for you, and I know this to be true through my own experiences.
     I have finally reached a point in my life where I do not excessively worry about every little thing in my life anymore. I have finally come to a point where I am able to put my trust in the Lord and have been able to more successfully build and nourish my relationships with family, friends, myself, and God. I have learned to accept the trials in my life, even if they seem so huge and overwhelming that there is no possible way things could get worse, I have come to realize God will always be there for me, and that everything happens for a reason, including things that we have little knowledge about as to why they happen.
     I encourage everyone, whatever your position, trials, or testimony, to try to turn your life over to God. That doesn't mean you stop trying, what it means is you learn to accept what happens in life, and you do what you can to better yourself and others and try hard while you turn actively to God for help and comfort. I have a personal testimony that inviting God into your life and turning yourself over to him can help you overcome anything, and that it may not be in "your time", but that when God sees fit, your struggles, trials, and adversities will be removed or lessened for you.
     I highly reccomend checking out the 12 steps if you are not familiar with them already, particularly the LDS addiction recovery 12-steps. While they are specifically for addicts, they teach principles and concepts I think every person should know and practice in their lives. Here is a link to an LDS 12-step book: https://addictionrecovery.lds.org/addiction-recovery-program-guide?lang=eng
     Resources for depression & suicidal ideation: http://www.suicidehotlines.com/utah.html
     I reccomend checking out talks and articles about finding happiness and trusting in the lord on http://www.lds.org