Depression is a result of brain chemical imbalance. A feeling of well-being occurs with the perfect cocktail of serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine. The problem is that each of these brain hormones can be affected by food, activity, thoughts, feelings, injury, illness, etc. It’s can be like trying to keep your “cocktail” balanced while on a roller coaster!

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So, some things that cause depression are beyond your control. Genetics often determine our brain chemistry, which is why mental illness can run in families. The part of the world you live in can affect your diet, your access to medical care, and your healthy living choices.

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The great news is that many things that alleviate depression are within your control. You can eat better, exercise, increase social connections… all which help with depression.

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Except, when we’re depressed, we don’t feel like trying to eat healthy, to exercise, to socialize. Everything is hard. It’s like trying to exist in a black fog, while moving through thick mud. The hope and excitement of a new day doesn’t exist for those in depression… time is something to survive through. Food is an empty means of comfort, but there’s no hunger. Movement takes great amounts of energy, and sleep is a blessed escape. People are burdens- they want us to do stuff for them, to show up for things, to talk. Trying to communicate is difficult because our brain has slowed down- coming up with the right words at the right time takes a lot of effort. Telling people we’re sad or anxious results in unwanted behavior- pity, withdrawal, or unwanted efforts to cheer us up. We don’t feel anyone understands who we are and what we’re going through. We don’t feel anyone cares enough to really try. We feel lonely and isolated and tired and fed up with trying so hard to fit our square selves into round, cheery holes.

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So the challenge, to overcome depression, is to use medicine, as needed, to balance the brain chemicals, to do the outside things to improve mental, physical, emotional, and social health, and work with someone on the inside things, to re-train your brain to think in ways that benefit your health and growth. All this, when we don’t really want to, and don’t see the point to it.

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The question is, do you like being miserable? Do you enjoy your solitude, your dark thoughts, your difficulty in making it through the day? If there’s a chance you can do something to feel better, would you do it, even if you don’t feel like it?