I've blogged about it before in detail, but I have generalised anxiety with OCD (dermatillomania which started when I was a kid and repetitive/compulsive/counting behaviours but was never formally diagnosed because it doesn't interfere with my life). This, together with life events, pushed me into a deep clinical depression. I'm also schizoid but don't view that as an illness anymore.
I was suicidal, took various medications for 3 years, have been off them (and stable) for the last 2 years, and self-monitor constantly for a relapse. To maintain balance I exercise, practice mindfulness and eat healthily. Some think that I have an eating disorder because I'm pretty rigid about diet, but I am aware that the OCD could take over so I make rules to stop myself from counting calories and regularly schedule meals where I must eat "off-plan" (in good portions). I also am careful not to classify foods in moral terms. Awareness about my condition helps me to head off such tendencies.
Mental illness is very debilitating. It has nothing to do with willpower or strength, and the stigma is so damaging. I don't advocate for/against medication - everyone is different, and I can say that in my case in particular, it stabilised me enough so that I could work out some issues without hurting myself. I wouldn't be alive without them, but I never wanted to be on them long-term. That is why I opened myself to therapy, committed to learn coping skills, and tapered myself off at the least stressful time in my life. Others may need to take meds long-term - people with a stronger biological susceptibility, maybe. I might need them again in the future as well, I'm not ruling out that possibility. Thinking "I'm never going back on them again" might prevent me from seeking help if/when I need it.
Personally, it's very much a day-by-day thing. With CBT I learned to recognise unproductive patterns of thought, and question them, as well as how to take a step back and question my thoughts in an objective fashion. Depression lies. Anxiety lies. The feelings are very real, but what our thoughts tell us are often not true, or productive for our lives. Thought processes are habits, and we can only break old habits by building new ones that serve us better. Acting to prevent self-perpetuating cycles of traumatic thought patterns is key.
I'm pretty happy/stable right now, and feel like I'm coping - though I would avoid thinking that I'm "cured" because complacency is asking for trouble. Few who meet me offline would be able to tell that I'm dealing with mental illness, unless they know what to look for. I'm also aware that statistically, people who have had 1 major depressive episode are more likely to have another, and that multiple recurrences becomes very likely after the 2nd episode. This is why I prioritise keeping myself stable and healthy above everything else.