I always used to feel 'weak' for experiencing depression.  I felt I should have been 'strong enough' to cope with all the difficulties life had thrown at me. Yes, yes, I know - that's ridiculous. But there was always such pressure to carry on within a short space of time, as though nothing had happened. It all left me feelin so weary...

How many people do you know who are expected by their bosses to return to work within 3 days after burying a loved one, or after returning home from hospital?

In our society today many people still feel that anyone over the age of 12 should be able to 'pull themselves together' in a pretty short space of time, even in the face of the dire life circumstances. But many times that's simply not possible to do.  We can never know in advance how or why depression strikes a person.

Or can we? 

This great article that I found at John McManamy's excellent site talks about Nature or Nurture - Outside Depression Causes  and looks at some of the many reasons why depression occurs.  The article's a bit elderly - it was written way back in 2004 - but as far as I'm concerned every word still rings true.

"We know that depression is a physical phenomenon. Thanks to modern imaging, we can see it actually taking place, like a tiny squid secreting dark ink in the left prefrontal regions of the brain. We also know that genes are a factor in both depression and bipolar disorder, that in twins there is a co-occurrence that cannot be explained away by chance, and that these conditions often have interlocking family histories spanning several generations.

But life, let alone depression and bipolar disorder, is never that simple.

According to the Surgeon General, stressful life events loom large in depression. Thirty to 40 percent of those undergoing divorce report a significant increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety. Single mothers face twice the risk of depression as do married mothers. Victims of domestic violence must often bear their considerable emotional burdens while battling incapacitating depression. At least 10 to 20 percent of widows and widowers develop clinical depression during the first year of bereavement. In the words of the Surgeon General: "The compelling impact of past parental neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and other forms of maltreatment on both adult emotional well-being and brain function is now firmly established for depression."

In other words, stress incidence in life can often bring on depression, as much as the chemical imbalances that doctors are forever attempting to drug out of existence.

If you're going through a rough patch in life, and I know many of you are, do these three things.  I understand that you feel you don't have much energy - I get that completely, believe me.  But this list is only 3 items long...  not some great and grand action plan.

1. Do what you have to to take care of your body; sleep more, comfort eat less, exercise more.

2. Ask for help; from your mum, your dad, your brother, your close friend,  a sympathetic doctor or some other health professional.  When I finally got round to doing this (after years of struggling on my own mind), things came together in my life within a matter of months...

3. Be gentle with yourself; remember, modern living takes its toll on the human body and the human mind. 

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness.

Lorraine