How I Learned to Stop Feeling Sad

Warning: things are about to get real. But helpful. And maybe kind of funny.

Before I get into anything too deep, I want to explain how depression works — especially if you’ve never experienced it. (In which case, I’m genuinely happy for you, but this might help you better understand someone who has.)

Living with depression is like having a phone that never charges past 10%. You can function, but everything takes way more effort. And people with full batteries? They just don’t get why you’re always so tired. But just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean the struggle isn’t real.

Now you might be thinking, “Okay Jenna, what does this have to do with lashes?” Just stick with me. Get it… stick with me because we use glue… okay anyways, I promise it’ll all come together.

A Quick Depression 101

Depression isn’t just “feeling sad.” It’s a real, physical condition that often comes from a chemical imbalance in the brain — low serotonin and dopamine levels, to be exact. It’s also shaped by trauma, genetics, or life events. You can’t see it on the outside, that is why all mental health is so misunderstood.

My Story, Lightly Told

For most of my life, I look like the happiest girl in the room. And honestly? I wasn’t. But making other people feel good was the only thing that made me feel better. Not to mention being an empath who can't even kill a bug - let alone be able to sleep at night if I made other people sad bc I am sad. 😂😅

Since I was a kid, I felt heavy, misunderstood, and exhausted. There were some dark years, and I mean dark. But I won’t go into every detail — partly because I’m still working through it, and partly because this blog isn’t about my past. It’s about what happened after.

The Choice That Changed Everything

Eventually, I hit a point where I realized: no one was going to come in and save me, I couldn’t keep living like this. So I made a decision — not to be magically healed overnight — but to take the tiniest steps toward getting better.

Here were my baby steps:

• Find small things that made me feel good and focus on those
• Stop bullying myself in my own head
• Take therapy and meds seriously (come to find out I was very chemically unbalanced, which made me not feel as crazy)
• Be okay with bad days and not spiral because of them
• Start believing I was worth showing up for

Spoiler: Those tiny choices changed everything.

So... Lashes?

Helping people makes me feel the most alive. And that led me to esthetician school, which introduced me to skincare, beauty — and lashes.

I couldn’t afford training, so I taught myself (YouTube University, *** do not do this for real just take the training but hey if you do go my route who knows you may just move across the country to your dream state and one day impress the CEO of a pretty cool teal company ;)

Eventually, I built a business with 50+ clients a week — not for money, but for purpose. Lashing let me help people feel beautiful and confident, and in doing that, I started to feel that way too.

I am now living a life that younger me never imagined she’d survive to see and one where I am excited to see what else the future is going to hold for me.

To Anyone Struggling

If you're in it right now — in the fog, the dark, the “what's the point” — I want you to know it will get better. Not by magic, but by slow, brave steps.

You don’t have to have a perfect morning routine or a five-year plan. Start with getting out of bed. Drinking some water. Taking a walk. Laughing at an animal video. Feeling one tiny spark of hope.

And if you’ve never experienced depression, but want to help someone who has — just listen. Don’t try to fix it. Be there.

Final Thoughts

I’m not here to glamorize struggle. I’m here to tell you that healing is possible. That your pain is real. And that life — even when it feels like too much — has moments waiting for you that you wouldn’t believe if I told you.

So keep going.

You are not alone.

Love,
Jenna